Posted on 08/08/2026 3:24:32 AM PDT by Libloather
A trio of Big Apple homeowners has filed suit to delay the state’s controversial new tax on luxury second homes — claiming Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration bungled the rollout and unfairly put the burden on homeowners.
The disgruntled owners charge that City Hall is unfairly burdening them by forcing them to prove they are full-time New Yorkers if they do not want to pay the pied-à-terre tax, according to the suit filed Friday in Staten Island Supreme Court.
The city Department of Finance “has arbitrarily and capriciously foisted onto New York City residents the burden of proving they are not subject to the Surcharge,” the filing states.
It also calls out the DOF’s move to publish a tax roll of nearly 1 million properties that may be subject to the new surcharge and the 17,000 notices it mailed to homeowners warning them they would be hit with five-figure bills unless they file for an exemption.
One of the plaintiffs, Mamdani-supporting Manhattanite Simon Hedley, told The Post he doesn’t take issue with the law itself – but opposes how the city is distributing the “threatening” notices.
Hedley, whose sole home is in Chelsea, has no idea how he ended up on Hizzoner’s list and said the onus to prove residency should be on the city.
“I just think that if they’re going to be in the rollout process, the Department of Finance is obviously managing it — they’ve got endless access to records to really get a fairly accurate idea about who’s resident and who isn’t,” Hedley told The Post Friday.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
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Embrace the Suck, Suckers!!!
How do you prove you lived some place for a certain amount of days? Maybe they can monitor toilet flushes.
Maybe I should encourage my grandkids to become “my body was at a certain location” lawyer. What would you call an attorney that specializes in that?
“Hedley, whose sole home is in Chelsea, has no idea how he ended up on Hizzoner’s list…”
Hizzoner is a lying commie who hates you you IDIOT!
Homeowners in NYC now have until September 18, 2026, to apply for the pied-à-terre tax exemption. This extension allows additional time for eligible property owners to submit their applications.
And if you don’t file because you think you’re already exempt? This could get messy!
Everytime I hear the word “surcharge” I think of something that is most likely illegal & certainly hated. It is just an extra charge for something that nobody could think of any means of actually justifying it.
Everytime I hear the word “surcharge” I think of something that is most likely illegal & certainly hated. It is just an extra charge for something that nobody could think of any means of actually justifying it.
“ How do you prove you lived some place for a certain amount of days? Maybe they can monitor toilet flushes.”
Utility bill.
And to those rich folks TRYING TO GET OUT OF PAYING THEIR FAIR SHARE, shame on you.
Cell Phone would be the perfect way to do it. It would track where you’re at at all times. this might be one time where you’re thankful they have the service.
Oh, yeah. Mamdani’s homeowner tax and doxxing was merely a mistake. “That was not real Communism.”
Ankle bracelet tracker for people who unfairly own homes while other people do not. Home ownership is proof someone is a capitalist pig.
If you voted for Mamdani then I say “Pay up, and do it with a smile”
The specific documents you must provide when applying for an exemption will depend on who is using the property as a primary residence.
Primary residence documents
All owners applying for an exemption from the surcharge will be asked to provide one of the following for each occupant you identify as using the property as a primary residence:
Most recently filed federal or state tax return
Driver’s license or other DMV-issued identification
If a tax return, driver’s license, or other DMV-issued identification is not available, you can provide both of the following items:
Voter identification card
Other proof showing that the property is your primary residence
Tenant documents
If the property is the primary residence of a tenant or subtenant, you will be asked to provide the primary residence documents listed above, as well as:
A copy of the current lease and one additional rental document, such as a utility bill, proof of rent payment, or renter’s insurance policy, OR
A Tenant or Subtenant Affidavit and two additional rental documents
Immediate family member
If the property is the primary residence of an immediate family member of the owner or majority interest holder, you will be asked to provide the primary residence documents listed above, as well documentation proving the family relationship.
Birth certificate
Marriage certificate
Immediate Family Member Affidavit Form
Business entity
If the property is owned by a business entity (such as an LLC, corporation, trust, or partnership) and is used as a primary residence by a majority member, shareholder, or partner, you will be asked to provide the primary residence documents listed above.
In addition, you must provide:
Partnership agreement, trust agreement or affidavit, LLC operating agreement, or articles of incorporation
Majority Interest Affidavit
https://www.nyc.gov/site/finance/property/non-primary-residence-surcharge.page#
I think this would be the most definitive way.
This is a nightmare.
I don’t think these guys live in the city. What they ask for isn’t that hard to produce.
My employer does this to verify dependents for insurance coverage. They ask a group pf people every year for documents. Dependents get dropped if the documents are not provided. Most are able to provide the required documents. The company has saved lots of money by doing this.
This whole thing is a mess.
I really feel sorry for the clerks in the office that have to verify the documents and process the paperwork.
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