Mamdani pressed on NYC pied-à-terre tax confusion, exemption deadline

NEW YORK - Mayor Zohran Mamdani put the spotlight on affordable housing in the Bronx on Monday, but he was then grilled about confusion surrounding New York City's new pied-à-terre tax. 

The backstory:

It comes after the city sent 17,000 homeowners letters informing them they could be subject to the new property tax, which is meant to target luxury second homes worth over $5 million and condos used as second homes with a market value over $1 million. 

Some longtime New Yorkers claimed they received the letter in error and now must fight to prove they are permanent residents of the five boroughs. 

Over the weekend, after an outpouring of frustration, Mamdani announced the deadline to apply for a pied-à-terre tax exemption was extended nearly a month to September 18.

The city previously launched a website where property owners can check if they're exempt. 

What they're saying:

When asked if he regretted how his team rolled out the new tax, considering the confusion, Mamdani instead focused more on some of the criticism. 

"First and foremost, I understand the concerns New Yorkers have, especially when it comes to a new tax, and as we know that new taxes typically present more questions than they do answers. Now, when it comes to the property tax roll and the 'you may be subject to' letters, I do also want to state that there has been both a willful and an unintentional conflation of both the property tax roll and these letters," the mayor said. 

Dig deeper:

So far, more than 2,000 homeowners have applied for a pied-à-terre tax exemption, the city said. 

Mamdani said the city also hired an additional 24 people to help with the rollout.

Local perspective:

Mamdani was in the Bronx for a groundbreaking on a supportive housing project, where a majority of the apartments will be set aside for people with serious mental illness and a history of homelessness.