At first Mamdani’s new property tax was only going to affect people whose primary residence was elsewhere than in New York, and who owned second or third properties in the city worth over five million dollars. That was considered to be a rarified group, nothing much to worry about for ordinary people. That’s the way it was sold to the public.

But funny thing, now it’s come to this:

Mayor Zohran Mamdani opened a new front in his ongoing battle with New York City’s wealthy after his administration published a searchable database identifying affluent property owners who could be subject to the city’s proposed pied-à-terre tax, a move critics say could expose them to harassment and public safety risks.

The database, released by the city’s Department of Finance, allows users to search properties and view the names and addresses of owners whose non-primary residences could be subject to the proposed tax. …

… A person familiar with the process, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the city has publicly released similar property tax rolls every year for many years in accordance with New York state law. …

However, critics argue the database goes well beyond traditional public records by compiling the names and addresses of affluent property owners into a single, easily searchable location, potentially creating new privacy and security risks. The debate carries added weight in America’s largest city, where public safety remains a persistent political issue and affluent residents have long cited crime as a top concern.

While property ownership records have long been public, opponents say the city’s decision to aggregate them into a dedicated database could make wealthy homeowners more vulnerable to harassment and potential violence.

Of course it makes them more vulnerable. Isn’t that the point? Mamdani got elected by appealing to the Luigi-worshipping crowd, and this will please them no end. It will also give important information to the bolder among them.

But that’s not all. Remember the five million dollar threshold?:

Meanwhile, the Real Estate Board of New York President James Whelan argued that the database also illustrates how broadly the proposed tax could reach beyond the ultra-wealthy residents its supporters have emphasized. Although Mamdani initially promoted the proposal as a tax on secondary homes worth more than $5 million and owned by the “ultra-wealthy and global elites,” the final rules use different Department of Finance valuation thresholds depending on the type of property. According to the New York Post, over 960,000 residences could be listed in the database, which makes it possible to search and download property owners’ information, including their names and addresses.

“What this database really demonstrates is that the second-home tax is far broader and more complicated than its supporters have suggested,” he continued. “Policymakers should take a hard look at the many homeowners who could be swept in despite not fitting the profile of the ultra-wealthy residents this tax was supposedly designed to target.”

For condos, the threshold is now one million dollars. That doesn’t get you all that much in NYC, especially in some parts of it. And although these are second homes, who thinks that’s where Mamdani and the DSA will choose to stop?

More:

“What this database really demonstrates is that the second-home tax is far broader and more complicated than its supporters have suggested,” he continued. “Policymakers should take a hard look at the many homeowners who could be swept in despite not fitting the profile of the ultra-wealthy residents this tax was supposedly designed to target.”

Kulaks never were especially rich, either. They were the topic of envy and resentment nonetheless. And that’s what Mamdani and the DSA trade on – envy and resentment.

More:

At the center of the debate is whether the city can ask more of its wealthiest residents without weakening the tax base that helps fund municipal government.

Ya think?? Thing is, New York City is – or used to be – a special place in which to live, and people were willing to pay a premium to do so. Mamdani and company are assuming it will continue to be attractive to enough rich people (and rich 2nd property owners) to continue to live there or own property there, despite the increased taxes.

The following is no surprise:

Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani’s office asking why the administration chose to publish the searchable database rather than notify affected property owners privately and whether it conducted a legal or privacy review before making the information available online. The office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Here’s Mamdani again:

“If you have a second home in New York City worth more than $5M, check your mailbox when you’re back in the five boroughs — because you’ve got mail,” he crooned last week before promising the initiative would yield “the best parks, libraries, and schools in the world.”

Sure thing. And the best government-run grocery stores.

The tax was originally estimated to affect between 11,200 and 31,000 properties. But guess what? It presently is due to affect 960,000.

Mamdani is malevolent, but he’s not alone. He is part of a movement, one that is growing, one that uses the ignorance and resentment of a large proportion of young people in order to seize power and make society over anew in the image they think best – or at least, the image that will give them the most power.

[NOTE: Speaking of city grocery stores, there’s a lawsuit brewing:

An immigrant-led business group is gearing up to sue New York City over Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s controversial plan to open five taxpayer-funded supermarkets — claiming the $70 million project will create unfair competition for nearby stores, The Post has learned.

As the far-left mayor announced new details of his plan this week — including a 30% discount on basic items like produce, meat, milk, cheese and bread – the Multicultural Business Coalition’s board voted to file a lawsuit in the coming weeks to block the pricey initiative, the group’s chairman Frank Garcia told The Post.

“The mayor doesn’t seem to want to sit down with us,” Garcia said, adding that Mamdani “won’t be able to bully these lawyers we are going to bring in.” …

MBC — formed earlier this year to create a unified front against Mamdani’s grocery policy — includes 50 chambers of commerce representing Asian, African, Caribbean, Hispanic, Middle Eastern and Jewish-owned businesses in New York.

Good luck.

I repeat – whether or not you care about New York City, this is a movement that has no plans to limit itself to NYC.]