Comedians Dana Carvey and David Spade mocked New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s plan to tax owners of high-value second homes, with Spade saying the city’s release of a searchable property database was «a bit of a stumble».
Speaking on the «Fly on the Wall» podcast, Carvey said Mamdani is «going after billionaires in New York» and that anyone with a second home in the city should expect to pay more tax. Spade said publishing the names and addresses of second-home owners online was risky, particularly after the mayor encouraged street protests. «I would be worried if I was a guy with that», Spade said. Carvey agreed the move was «dangerous» and «a little weird». He also mocked the mayor’s warning that he planned to drop a «tax bomb». Spade said the list included many famous people and their houses, adding «they got kids». «Just tax them», Carvey replied.
The exchange came after New York City published a property database in late July. The pied-à-terre tax, endorsed by Mamdani and passed by the New York State Legislature in May, imposes an annual surcharge on certain high-value New York City homes worth more than $5 million that are not the owner’s primary residence.
On July 24, the city released more than 900,000 properties in a «supplemental market value roll» without immediately explaining that most of them would not be affected by the tax. A city official later said the roll was state-mandated and would be used by the Department of Finance to determine which properties could be subject to the surcharge. The department has since sent surcharge letters to about 17,000 homeowners.
Mamdani has said property owners have until Sept. 18 to apply for an exemption if they believe their home should not be subject to the tax, giving households a chance to contest the city’s initial assessment.
The rollout drew criticism beyond the comedians. Steven Fulop, chief executive of the Partnership for New York City and a fellow Democrat, said the list was public information but had been framed in a way that targeted citizens. «I don’t know if it’s an invitation to physical violence. I would say that the way that it was framed was shaming people for being successful», he said. Fulop added that his group started with a constructive outlook and tried to find ways to work with the administration, but that it has become more difficult because, in his view, Mamdani is focused on «performative stuff» rather than substantive policies that work with the business community.
The criticism adds to earlier pushback over Mamdani’s housing agenda, including a «Rental Ripoff Report» and a public database of landlords. Some critics have said the publication amounted to doxxing, and property owner advocacy groups have objected to the mayor’s approach.
