Kathy Hochul

A handful of property owners have begun a legal challenge against New York City over Mayor Zohran Mamdani's rollout of the new pied-à-terre tax, claiming the "chaotic" rollout of the measure caused mass confusion, as Gothamist reported. The surcharge, aimed at people who own second homes valued at over $5 million for one-to-three family homes and over $1 million for condos or co-ops, began with the publication of a Department of Finance (DOF) database of 900,000 properties, many of which were not actually subject to the tax. The complaint alleges that the city violated state law by subsequently sending 17,000 letters to homeowners alerting them that they may be subject to the high-value property tax. On Monday, a State Supreme Court judge on Staten Island granted a temporary restraining order on behalf of the homeowners, briefly putting a pause on the tax rollout, but city officials quickly filed an appeal, which served to block the judge's order pending review by a higher court.
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Mayor Zohran Mamdani said New York City would raise property taxes if Albany doesn't tax the rich. The mayor on Tuesday released his first preliminary budget, presenting a grim outlook for the city's fiscal health, including a $5.4 billion budget gap. Mamdani framed the proposed 9.5 percent property tax as a "last resort" if he cannot convince Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers to increase income taxes on New York's richest residents.
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