Amid billionaire exodus, NYC's Mamdani tells $5M homeowners: Check your mail

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is moving ahead with a new tax on expensive second homes despite a continuing exodus of wealthy residents from New York. In a recent post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Zohran Mamdani said owners of second homes in New York City worth more than $5 million should "check your mailbox" because the city has started sending notification letters about its upcoming pied-à-terre tax. "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," Mamdani wrote in the post dated July 24."Today, we sent notification letters to property owners, letting them know that our new pied-à-terre tax is coming soon."In this post, the New York mayor said the tax is aimed at helping fund public services across the city. "The best city in the world deserves the best parks, libraries, and schools in the world. That's only possible when we all pay our fair share," Mamdani added.New York continues to lose high-income residentsZohran Mamdani's announcement comes as New York continues to lose high-income residents to lower-tax states, raising concerns about the city's tax base. According to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) data for 2022-2023, Manhattan attracted the largest number of new tax filers in the United States but still lost about $922 million in adjusted gross income because many high-income taxpayers left and were replaced by lower-earning newcomers.Other parts of New York City also saw significant outflows. Queens recorded a net loss of more than 17,000 tax filers, while the Bronx lost more than 16,000. Nassau and Suffolk counties also ranked among the counties with the biggest losses.Many of those leaving New York have moved to states such as Florida and Texas, which do not levy state income tax and have attracted thousands of wealthy households in recent years.Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky on Mamdani's rent freezeA New York Post report recently claimed that the 42,500-square-foot Beaux-Arts building will serve as a hub for Airbnb’s New York-area workforce of more than 600 employees. In a statement to AM New York, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky noted that the investment reflects the company's long-term plans for the city. He said, “New York City has been part of our story since the earliest days of Airbnb. This building reflects our long-term commitment to the city and will be home to one of our largest employee hubs outside of San Francisco. We're excited to keep investing in the city and the people who make it extraordinary.” Airbnb is also expanding into New York City for the first time after years of disputes over short-term rental rules. Alongside Airbnb's investment, Claude-maker Anthropic has also announced plans to lease the entire 16-storey building at 330 Hudson Street in Manhattan. Get the latest technology news and updates. Download the TOI App.