‘It’s really upsetting’: Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax list targets high-profile New Yorkers — including Woody Allen — and leaves everyone baffled

The list drew backlash from New Yorkers, some of whom claimed their primary homes were included.

Mamdani has since clarified, adding that the list was part of a multi-step process to establish which homes would be impacted.

“The tax property roll that was posted last week is a reflection of all properties across New York City, not a reflection of those, specifically, that the pied-à-terre tax will be levied upon,” he said July 29, according to Bloomberg.

Confusion over the list

City officials said about 17,000 notices have been mailed to property owners notifying them they may be on the hook for the tax. That’s a small fraction of the more than 959,000 properties that were included on the initial list published Friday.

Among the hundreds of thousands of homeowners on the list were high-profile nonresidents like hedge fund manager Ken Griffin, as well as longtime New York icons like Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Woody Allen and Anna Wintour.

The homes of some New York City Council members were also on the list, despite being required to have a primary residence in the city to hold office.

“I’m still confused,” said Councilwoman Gale Brewer. She represents the Upper West Side and said she has been living in the same home since 1994. “It’s really upsetting people.”

The pied-à-terre tax

The pied-à-terre or second home tax is the latest strategy from state and municipal officials to address wealth inequality. New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced the new tax this year, with backing from Mamdani. The tax targets wealthy absentee owners of properties valued over $5 million or shared multi-unit residential housing valued at $1 million or more.

The surcharge is not meant to impact any properties used as a primary residence.