A storm is brewing in New York: Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration has published a public database containing the names and addresses of property owners who may be subject to a new tax on residences not used as primary homes, the New York Post reported Tuesday.
2+The database, uploaded to the city’s Department of Finance website, was ostensibly designed to identify properties valued at over $1 million that don’t serve as their owners’ primary residence. But in practice, it includes hundreds of thousands of addresses—among them modest homes, properties in middle-class neighborhoods, and even a small shopping center in Queens.
Among the recognizable names included in the database are director Woody Allen, former Vogue editor Anna Wintour, and actress Cynthia Nixon, who is considered a Mamdani supporter. The database’s publication has drawn sharp criticism, particularly because it includes full names and private addresses.
2+City Council member David Carr, one of the senior Republicans on the council whose own home appears on the list, called the move “reckless and stupid.” He argued that thousands of properties may have been mistakenly included even though they don’t serve as vacation homes or second residences at all. Carr added that the list could damage the luxury housing market and drive real estate investment to other states.
In opinion columns and among Mamdani’s critics, the database has been portrayed as a kind of “revenge list,” with claims that publishing property owners’ names and addresses goes beyond a technical procedure ahead of tax collection—instead publicly marking them and potentially exposing them to harassment and privacy violations.
2+New York City officials countered that the list was published in accordance with state law, which requires making public the details of properties that may be subject to the new tax.