The New York Post reports a stumbling block for one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s many bad ideas.
The reign of pied-à-terror is on pause.
Big Apple homeowners fighting the controversial pied-à-terre tax notched an early victory Monday, when a judge stunningly blocked Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s tortured rollout of the new levy.
Staten Island Supreme Court Justice Wayne Ozzi issued the temporary restraining order, effectively putting the luxury second-home tax on ice until at least an Aug. 31 court hearing about the peeved property owners’ lawsuit.
The judge barred the city from taking any further action on the 17,000 notices sent by the Department of Finance to homeowners, which declared they could face a five-figure tax bill unless they requested an exemption.
Mamdani quickly promised to fight the ruling, and attempt to get the restraining order lifted and his socialist “tax the rich” policy rolling again.
“We disagree with today’s ruling, but we are confident in both the pied-à-terre surcharge and the City’s ability to implement it fairly and effectively,” said Matt Rauschenbach, a spokesman for the mayor.
“This surcharge asks those who own second homes valued at $5 million or more to contribute their fair share to the city they benefit from,” Rauschenbach said, claiming “The Law Department will appeal the ruling immediately which will stay the order, and the City will continue with the pied-a-terre’s implementation.”
The tax – as outlined in the law approved by state lawmakers and Gov. Kathy Hochul in the spring – applies to one- to three-family homes worth at least $5 million and co-ops and condominiums valued at $1 million or more that are unoccupied, non-primary residences.
The bombshell order added another twist in an already convoluted saga — and came just hours after Hochul called on Mamdani to “streamline” the bungled pied-à-terre tax rollout.
“We’re not responsible for the rollout,” Hochul said to reporters during an unrelated event in The Bronx. “This is something that we talked to the city about in advance. It’s up to their city tax department.”
