The New Mexico Court of Appeals has sided with the city of Santa Fe in its appeal of a state district judge’s decision last year declaring an excise tax on home sales over $1 million unlawful.

The unanimous decision, filed in court Monday, paves the way for the city to have a much larger revenue stream for affordable housing — although plaintiffs challenging the tax could appeal the case to the state Supreme Court.

“This is another landmark win for the City in addressing affordable housing needs,” Mayor Alan Webber said in a statement, adding people who work in Santa Fe “deserve to live in Santa Fe.”

The appeals court ruling on the voter-approved tax comes a week before the municipal election, when voters will select a new mayor following a campaign in which the city’s housing crisis ha

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