New York City homeowners challenge Mamdani’s new pied-à-terre tax, seek September deadline halt
New York City is facing a lawsuit from a group of homeowners seeking to delay the rollout of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s new pied-à-terre tax, arguing
New York City is facing a lawsuit from a group of homeowners seeking to delay the rollout of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s new pied-à-terre tax, arguing that the city’s publication of a list of potentially affected properties has created “mass confusion” and subjected homeowners to unwarranted scrutiny of their personal information. According to Bloomberg, the lawsuit was filed Friday in New York state court in Staten Island on behalf of three homeowners. The legal challenge does not seek to overturn the tax itself. Instead, it targets the city’s assessment roll and notices sent to property owners who may be liable for the surcharge. The homeowners argue that the city has improperly shifted the burden onto residents to prove that they are not subject to the tax, rather than first determining which properties actually qualify. “The city has arbitrarily and capriciously foisted onto New York City residents the burden of proving they are not subject to the surcharge,” the homeowners said in their complaint, according to Bloomberg. The lawsuit was filed by prominent litigator Randy Mastro, who previously served as a deputy mayor under former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Homeowners seek to halt September deadline The plaintiffs are asking the court to declare that homeowners should not be required to respond to the city’s notices by the September 18 deadline.
Second lawsuit targeting Mamdani policy The case marks the second recent lawsuit filed by Mastro against a major policy associated with Mamdani, Bloomberg reported. Last month, Mastro filed a separate lawsuit on behalf of New York City landlords seeking to invalidate a rent freeze approved in June. That complaint accused Mamdani of improperly influencing the Rent Guidelines Board and disregarding evidence presented by property owners about increasing operating costs. The latest lawsuit does not challenge the legality of the pied-à-terre tax itself, but instead focuses on how the city has identified and notified potentially affected homeowners. Nearly 1 million properties listed The city’s Department of Finance published an assessment roll online last month that “includes, but is not limited to, those properties that may be subject to the surcharge.” The list contained estimated market values for nearly 1 million residential properties, including hundreds of thousands that appeared to fall below the threshold for the new levy. The publication quickly drew criticism from homeowners who said their primary residences had been included on the list. Some City Council members also said they were caught off guard by the release. Also Read | NYC Mayor Mamdani shows up with a speech, leaves without giving it City extends exemption deadline In response to the backlash, New York City has extended the deadline for homeowners seeking exemptions by four weeks to September 18.
The BriefWire