By Shaina McLawrence and Kyle Lawson
Staten Island Advance, N.Y.
(TNS)
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.— Mayor Zohran Mamdani was asked Monday if he had any regrets about his rollout of the controversial pied-à-terre tax, amid pushback by some homeowners and politicians.
He said he did not.
“I think first and foremost, that I understand the concerns New Yorkers have, especially when it comes to a new tax,” said Mamdani, who fielded questions on the initiative following a press conference in the Bronx. “And as we know, new taxes typically present more questions than they do answers.”
The tax targets secondary homes of non-resident New Yorkers worth more than $5 million. The city sent letters to 17,000 homeowners indicating they might be subject to the tax.
“I continue to believe that the pied-à-terre surcharge will raise $500 million on an annual basis, and the importance of this tax is that it is one that will ensure that our streets are cleaner, that our city is safer, that our schools are more supported,” Mamdani added.
His administration recently extended the deadline for property owners to register for exemptions until September 18. Property owners who don’t appeal by the September deadline still have until March to appeal to the tax commission before the tax is levied.
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Mamdani said his administration wanted to give property owners time to engage with the city and appeal assessments before levying the tax. Homeowners can contact 311, the Department of Finance directly, or visit a business center in person with questions.
The city also has hired 24 additional civil servants across multiple city agencies to help field questions from homeowners, the mayor noted.
Mamdani went on to say that the 17,000 letters sent out represent a “fraction of the city’s 8.5 million residents.”
Some property owners and politicians, meanwhile, have taken issue with their addresses being released publicly as part of the property tax roll.
Staten Island officials have argued the list includes people who do not appear to qualify for the surcharge.
Mamdani said Monday that the property tax roll, which includes more than 900,000 homes, has been released twice a year for decades.
“There has been both a willful and an unintentional conflation of both the property tax roll and these letters,” Mamdani said.
Photo caption: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani answers a question about the city’s pied-à-terre tax on Aug. 3, 2026.
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© 2026 Staten Island Advance, N.Y. Visit www.silive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency LLC.
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