On April 15, Zohran Mamdani wished his city a “happy Tax Day” while announcing a new "pied-à-terre" tax — French for "feet on the ground" — targeting millionaires who own second homes in New York City.
"When I ran for mayor, I said I was going to tax the rich," he said. "Well today, we're taxing the rich."
Editor Emeritus of The Daily Wire, Ben Shapiro says Mamdani and his Democratic colleagues will say they want those tax dollars to fund things like welfare programs, but class warfare is really the goal.
"The purpose of taxes is to punish success," he said in a video posted on his Facebook page. "The more successful you are, the more you ought to be punished."
He explained that the idea started to take shape during Barack Obama's administration, when everyone began identifying as a victim.
"The purpose is fairness," the podcaster summarized. "It is not prosperity. It is not more government revenue to use for useful things. The real key is that you are punishing and reveling in punishing the rich people."
In the game of identity politics, he said Mamdani appears to be a worthy successor to Obama.
"The sick glee with which he announces taxes — it has nothing to do with helping people," Shapiro reiterated. "It has everything to do with punishing people. That is the glee. This is your smiling Jacobin. If he had a guillotine nearby, and he had the capacity to use it, he most certainly would."
As of now, the new tax is only a proposal announced by Mayor Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul (D). It must be approved by the New York State Legislature — likely as part of the state budget — before it can take effect.
The pied-à-terre tax is part of Mamdani's larger push to restructure who pays for NYC government. His income and corporate taxes are still mostly proposals, not law, but the policies most likely to pass are the narrow, targeted taxes on visible wealth — like luxury real estate.
The combination of Hochul, Mamdani and budget pressure gives it real momentum, but organized opposition and Albany politics can still derail it.
