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The Post Editorial Board argues that recent legal challenges against Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax are likely to intensify, citing a judge's ruling that criticized the city for imposing an unfair burden on homeowners to prove their residency status. The editorial highlights several lawsuits filed by both wealthy individuals like Wilbur Ross and Steve Wynn, as well as ordinary residents such as Robert Friedman and Kent Barwick, who argue the tax discriminates against nonresidents and violates multiple constitutional clauses. The board suggests that if New York’s courts do not overturn the tax due to its legal issues, federal courts might intervene.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-02,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On Tuesday, State Supreme Court Judge Wayne Ozzi in Staten Island ordered the city of New York to redo the rollout of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s second-home tax, or "pied-à-terre" tax, due to improper procedures and violations of property owners' due process rights. The judge ruled that the initial mailing of notices was arbitrary and capricious, affecting almost a million properties listed on a city website, including approximately 17,000 homeowners who could face significant surcharges if they do not primarily reside in New York City with second homes valued over $5 million. Mayor Mamdani’s spokesperson argued that the tax is fair and necessary to support public services, while critics argue it unfairly penalizes nonresidents without due process. The city plans to appeal this ruling.
Written for “Mamdani Second Home Tax Controversy” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 4 other(s) covering the same event.
Legal trouble for Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax is just beginning
asserted
trouble → begin → tax
Cross your fingers that a state judge’s slapdown of the pied-à-terre tax’s rollout marks the beginning of the end of the whole misbegotten tax.
asserted
slapdown → cross → tax
This week’s ruling came in a case challenging the burden the city placed on homeowners to prove they don’t owe the tax, which applies to nonresidents who own co-ops and condos valued $1 million or more or one-, two- and three-family homes worth $5 million and up.
asserted
who → come → more
Not only did City Hall require homeowners to prove they resided in Gotham for more than half the year, it told 17,000 New Yorkers they may be liable for the tax, and posted a list of 900,000 city properties as potentially ripe for the hit, which the judge ordered removed.
uncertain
judge → require → hit
In one case, uber-wealthy plaintiffs Wilbur Ross and Steve Wynn argue the tax unconstitutionally discriminates against nonresidents, who “by definition, cannot vote against lawmakers” who impose the tax.
asserted
who → argue → tax
They also argue the tax violates the state’s real-estate-tax cap.
asserted
tax → argue → cap
Robert Friedman lived in his $2.2 million Upper East side co-op for many years but recently moved to Suffolk County and maintains the unit in a trust for his two kids, the lawsuit states; under the PAT, his taxes will nearly double, from an already steep $103, 084 to a punitive $190,891.
asserted
taxes → live → 190,891
Kent Barwick, the longtime head of both the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission and the Municipal Arts Society, bought his property 50 years ago but moved upstate during COVID and now faces an unaffordable four-fold spike in his tax bill.
asserted
Barwick → buy → bill
Scott Golden and Stephanie Cohen of Florida sold their apartment in July, but because the tax is retroactive to Jan. 5, their bill of less than $2,000 shot up to $48,900 — almost 25 times higher.
asserted
bill → sell → 48,900
Yet another plaintiff is a co-op building, which has to cover the tax of shareholders who live outside the city for part of the year, including some who have sold their units.
asserted
who → have → units
Their lawyer, former Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro, cites numerous constitutional violations, including the Privileges and Immunities Clause, Dormant Commerce Clause, Due Process Clause, Equal Protection clauses and Contracts Clauses.
asserted
lawyer → cite → Clause
But the bottom line is Mayor Zohran Mandani sought to spend billions more than the city could afford, so Gov. Kathy Hochul came up with this complicated “tax the rich” gimmick to buy his goodwill.
uncertain
Hochul → seek → goodwill
New York’s far-left courts may back her up, despite tax’s constitutional breaches.
uncertain
courts → back → breaches
If not, count on the federal courts to step in.
Hope someone does, because legal arguments aside, pols like Hochul and Mamdani need to learn they can’t just invent new taxes so they can keep on spending so recklessly.
asserted
they → count → taxes
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