New York City

Mamdani's Tax Database Doxed Wealthy New Yorkers

The New York City mayor painted a target on wealthy taxpayers.

J.D. Tuccille | 8.3.2026 7:00 AM

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Making an enemies list is creepy. Publishing the names of people you dislike to fuel political supporters' prejudices is even creepier and potentially dangerous. That's what New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration has done with the introduction of a property tax surcharge on relatively high-value second homes linked to a searchable online database of those who could be affected. The socialist mayor's defenders point out that tax and property information is a matter of public record in New York, but the packaged publication of surcharge targets and Mamdani's history of calling out opponents by name suggests something nastier is going on.

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A Tax on Second Homes Worth $1 Million or More

"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," Mamdani announced on July 23. "Today, we sent notification letters to property owners, letting them know that our new pied-à-terre tax is coming soon."

The non-primary residence property surcharge, as it's called on the Department of Finance website, actually applies to "one-, two-, and three-family homes valued by DOF at more than $5........

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