Clarification: Mamdani Did Not ‘Doxx’ Wealthy New Yorkers
POLICY WIRE — New York City, USA — Recent allegations by the New York Post and other media outlets claim that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani endangered wealthy residents by publishing a...
POLICY WIRE — New York City, USA — Recent allegations by the New York Post and other media outlets claim that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani endangered wealthy residents by publishing a searchable database of properties potentially subject to the new pied-à-terre tax. The Post and others have accused the Mamdani administration of ‘doxxing’ thousands of New Yorkers, suggesting this was a reckless move that could incite violence.
However, these claims are unfounded. The information in the database has been publicly available and searchable online for decades. Property records, including tax information, are accessible across the country to resolve ownership disputes and ensure unencumbered property transfers.
The city was legally required to publish an updated property ownership list in July as part of implementing the pied-à-terre tax. This tax imposes an annual surcharge on condos and co-op units valued over $1 million and homes valued over $5 million that are not used as primary residences. An analysis by New York City Comptroller Mark Levine estimated the tax could generate between $340 million and $510 million annually.
The new list includes around 960,000 properties, but only a fraction of these will be subject to the tax. The city sent letters to approximately 17,000 property owners potentially affected, with about a third already applying for exemptions.
New York officials, including Mayor Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul, have denied the ‘doxxing’ allegations, stating that publishing property tax rolls is a longstanding practice. Several residents have sued the Mamdani administration, claiming city officials acted hastily, but the lawsuit does not challenge the tax itself.
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Despite the false claims, the New York Post and other outlets have continued to repeat the ‘doxxing’ narrative, implying malicious intent by the Mamdani administration. This misinformation has spread to mainstream papers like the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, as well as influential figures like Senator Ted Cruz.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
