New Yorkers packed a City Council hearing this week, describing a wave of confusing — and in some cases wildly inaccurate — tax bills that left them scrambling to prove they live in their own homes.
According to a report the New York Post published on Tuesday, August 18, the three-hour oversight hearing centered on the rollout of Mayor Zohran Mamdani‘s new pied-à-terre tax, targeting luxury second homes worth $5 million or more, as well as co-ops and condos valued above $1 million that sit unoccupied.
Per the report, Governor Kathy Hochul distanced herself from the fallout last week, telling reporters, “We’re not responsible for the rollout. We just were their — we are the facilitators.”
Kenneth Fishel, an Upper East Side resident who has since joined a lawsuit against the rollout, said he only learned he’d been wrongly billed by chance. “My apartment number was listed on it, and it said that I didn’t live in that apartment and that I owed $58,000 for non-primary residence tax,” Fishel said, per the report, explaining that a neighbor nearly 30 floors below had received his notice by mistake. “If I hadn’t run into him in the elevator, I never would have known, and I would have been billed for the full tax.”
According to the article, outside the hearing, roughly 20 real estate agents rallied with signs reading “Guilty until proven resident.” Jason Haber, president of the New York Residential Agent Continuum, criticized the city’s public release of a tax roll listing 900,000 properties. “That is a gift to every scammer, fraudster, or person with bad intent out there,” he said.
Retiree Robert Bertagna, who has lived on the Upper East Side for three decades, testified he was told he owed $52,000 annually unless he successfully filed for an exemption — despite voting records, a driver’s license and tax filings all tied to the address, the New York Post reported. “This is a clear intrusion by our government, intimidation by our government and, frankly, a direct attack and a target on private wealth,” he said.
Mary Ann Rothman of the Council of New York Cooperatives and Condominiums warned smaller buildings could be hit hardest, since the city bills co-op boards directly rather than individual shareholders, the outlet reported. “Where is the justice and jeopardizing the financial stability of a cooperative in this way?” she asked.
The Department of Finance Director Richard Lee defended the rollout in written testimony submitted in lieu of appearing before the council, arguing the 17,000 notices sent to homeowners simply informed them they could be subject to the surcharge. “Property owners who believe their property should not be subject to the surcharge have an opportunity to submit proof the property is used as a primary residence,” his statement said.
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