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Colorado Businesses Could Catch Break On Credit Card Swipe Fees
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Colorado Businesses Could Catch Break On Credit Card Swipe Fees

By Rae Solomon | The Colorado Sun Bill to exempt sales taxes from swipe fees heads to Gov. Jared Polis as industry warns of legal fights and consumer impacts. A proposal to reduce credit card swipe fees has whipped up a frothy, multi-million-dollar lobbying fight at the State Capitol this year, pitting the banking industry against retailers, restaurants, and other businesses. It passed the legislature Wednesday and now heads to the governor’s desk. Senate Bill 134 concerns the interchange fees, or swipe fees, that merchants pay to the banks every time a customer pays with a credit card. Currently, those fees are calculated as a percentage of the total charge, sales tax and all. The proposal, which passed the House on a 44-20 vote, would remove sales taxes from t...
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Xcel Wildfire Power Shutoffs Leave Boulder Businesses With Major Financial Damage
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kdvr.com, Approved, Local

Xcel Wildfire Power Shutoffs Leave Boulder Businesses With Major Financial Damage

By Anna Coon | KDVR BOULDER, Colo. (KDVR)— Dozens of Boulder businesses say they lost tens of thousands of dollars after going days without electricity during planned power outages by Xcel Energy in December, and the utility company says it will not reimburse those losses. Xcel shut off power to thousands of customers on Dec. 17 and again on Dec. 19 as strong winds increased wildfire risk across the Denver-metro and along the Front Range. While the outages were planned as a public safety measure, some businesses say power was not restored for days, forcing closures and the disposal of spoiled inventory. A survey conducted by the Boulder Chamber of Commerce found that roughly 250 of about 300 responding businesses reported being negatively affected by the outa...
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Xcel Power Shutoffs Leave Colorado Small Businesses Facing Major Losses
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Xcel Power Shutoffs Leave Colorado Small Businesses Facing Major Losses

By Sage Kelley | The Denver Gazette Restaurants west of Denver are still coming to grips with product losses and future revenue concerns after power shutoffs last week by Xcel Energy due to high winds. “It’s like living in a third-world country,” Brandon Bortles, owner of Nosu Ramen and Abejas Bistro in Golden, said Tuesday. “We’re all behind the eight ball. I want to know, are we going to do this 10 times a year? What are we going to do in the future? Just shut down the town every day?” Xcel Energy turned off the power multiple times to at least 48,000 customers amid severe winds and extreme wildfire danger between Wednesday and Friday. As many as 160,000 customers were without power at some point, officials said. The initial shutoff occurred Wednesday morning ...
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Colorado legislature passes bill punting to local governments on how much restaurant servers are paid
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Colorado legislature passes bill punting to local governments on how much restaurant servers are paid

By Tamara Chuang | The Colorado Sun A contentious bill pitting many restaurant owners against workers over how much tipped employees should earn was approved by the Colorado legislature Tuesday, with the restaurant industry feeling like it had achieved a small victory.  While the industry sought to offset tipped workers’ paychecks with more of their gratuities, therefore reducing their base pay in some scenarios, the decision has been punted to local governments.  Under House Bill 1208, which now heads to Gov. Jared Polis, relief won’t come immediately — if ever. Especially not in Denver, where dozens of restaurant owners testified that high minimum wages exacerbated their struggles to survive and keep up with rising food, rent and insurance costs. Some members on Denver...
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Report: 20% surcharge on Denver restaurant bills could cost economy $718 million
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The Center Square, Approved, Local

Report: 20% surcharge on Denver restaurant bills could cost economy $718 million

By Derek Draplin | The Center Square An idea to implement a 20% service charge on Denver restaurant bills, floated last week by Mayor Mike Johnston, could cost the city’s economy $718 million over the next five years, according to a policy think tank. Johnston made the suggestion during an interview on the "City Cast Denver" podcast Wednesday while discussing struggling restaurants in the city. “One idea we’ve been floating to restaurants is the idea of a service charge,” he said. “If you do a service charge of 20%, you can gather that, and you can spread it equally across all the employees. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE CENTER SQUARE
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‘It’s government policy that is causing the problem in the first place’: Denver’s fix for restaurants criticized
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

‘It’s government policy that is causing the problem in the first place’: Denver’s fix for restaurants criticized

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette The Colorado Restaurant Association expressed skepticism of Denver Mayor Mike Johnston's proposal to tack a service charge onto local restaurant bills, while the Denver Chamber of Commerce argued that adding the fee — and thereby raising prices — would discourage sales.    On Monday, Johnston told City Cast Denver, a popular podcast, that a 20% service charge added to restaurant bills — and then taxing the total amount — could help local restaurants offset the city’s higher minimum wage and promote what he called pay equity among tipped and non-tipped employees. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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Denver Mayor Mike Johnston floats 20% service charge on tabs to tackle restaurant woes
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston floats 20% service charge on tabs to tackle restaurant woes

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette Denver Mayor Mike Johnston wants to add a 20% service charge to local restaurant tabs — and then tax it — to help restaurants cope with the city’s minimum wage and promote what he called pay equity among tipped and non-tipped employees. On Monday, Johnston told City Cast Denver, a popular podcast, that he has already been discussing the idea with restaurant owners. He didn’t say whether they are on board. He also did not discuss if increasing people's dinner costs would decrease restaurant visits.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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There are mixed reviews on state bill that would reset wages in service industry
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Approved, CBS Colorado, State

There are mixed reviews on state bill that would reset wages in service industry

By Ashley Portillo | CBS Colorado Legislation was proposed at the Colorado State Capitol on Thursday that could change how the tipped employees like servers and bartenders are paid. Struggling restaurant owners are hopeful the bill will not only close the pay gap between back-of-the-house and front-of-the-house workers, but that it will keep their establishments open. But there are concerns among some in the industry that tipped employees could see immediate wage cuts -- as much as $4 per hour. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
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Struggling Colorado restaurants seek legislative help in rolling back key regulation
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Approved, State, The Sum & Substance

Struggling Colorado restaurants seek legislative help in rolling back key regulation

By Ed Sealover | The Sum & Substance A Colorado restaurant industry battered by increasing costs and regulations will ask legislators Thursday to help it in a way that officials believe can make a huge difference — reducing wage requirements on its already highly compensated bartending and wait staff. In doing so, groups like the Colorado Restaurant Association will find themselves in a decidedly different position than they’ve occupied for several years, when they’ve rallied sector workers to fend off proposed regulations like the 2023 “Fair Workweek” bill. And in seeking proactive help, they’ve amassed a coalition that includes both conservative small-government Republicans and liberal pro-labor Democrats who believe the existing stream of eatery closings will grow into a ragin...
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