It’s one thing to steal people’s money for silly government projects. It’s quite another to gloat about it like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani did on Thursday.
In a post on X, the mayor wrote, “If you have a second home in New York City worth more than $5M, check your mailbox when you’re back in the five boroughs — because you've got mail.”
“Today, we sent notification letters to property owners, letting them know that our new pied-à-terre tax is coming soon,” he continued. “The best city in the world deserves the best parks, libraries, and schools in the world. That's only possible when we all pay our fair share.”
If you have a second home in New York City worth more than $5M, check your mailbox when you’re back in the five boroughs — because you've got mail.
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) July 23, 2026
Today, we sent notification letters to property owners, letting them know that our new pied-à-terre tax is coming soon.
The best…
Reactions on X were mixed, with many on the left praising Mamdani for not only imposing the tax, but also his taunting message to wealthy New Yorkers. However, there was plenty of criticism to go around.
If you had a second home in New York City worth more than $5 million, chances are you sold it and moved to Florida when this communist got elected. https://t.co/31FlDDdNAD
— Eric Matheny (@ericmmatheny) July 23, 2026
This may be the first time I’ve ever seen a politician gloat over raising taxes. https://t.co/jbQi7srLVi
— David Marcus (@BlueBoxDave) July 23, 2026
Never elect a politician who:
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) July 24, 2026
(1) sees your money as his slush fund,
(2) loves Karl Marx, or
(3) uses French words like “pied-à-terre” to disguise new, confiscatory taxes he wants to impose to redistribute wealth. https://t.co/8eUuexVEwN
The pied-à-terre tax is an extra yearly charge on top of regular property taxes. It applies to second homes in New York City that are not the owner’s primary residence, according to CNBC. Properties valued between $1 million and $3 million face a four percent annual surcharge in the first year. Those from $3 million to $5 million face 5.25 percent, and those above $5 million face 6.5 percent.
The measure, backed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, became law in May and excludes units rented full time as someone’s main home.
The announcement lands as wealthy New Yorkers are fleeing the state in droves. A Citizen Budget Commission study found the state’s share of U.S. millionaires fell from 12.7 percent in 2010 to 8.7 percent in 2022, the steepest drop of any state, according to The New York Post.
This exodus cost roughly $10.7 billion in personal income tax revenue in 2022 alone. “New York’s declining share of high-income taxpayers has meaningful consequences. Had New York maintained its share of the nation’s millionaires over the past decade, personal income tax collections would have been substantially higher – roughly $10.7 billion more in tax year 2022,” the report read.
Mamdani has pushed back on those criticizing the tax. “I’ve been very clear about the fact that we live in the wealthiest city in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, and it’s unacceptable that one in four New Yorkers are living in poverty, and I believe that the wealthiest can do a little bit more to ensure that everyone can afford to live here,” he said.
Good luck making that happen when you’re driving out the wealthiest in the state, Mamdani.