Judge temporarily blocks Mamdani’s pied-à -terre tax on second homes

New York mayor’s office plans to appeal ruling, which comes after homeowners sued over property surcharges last week A judge has temporarily blocked Zohran Mamdani’s pied-à -terre tax, which would place a surcharge on second homes in New York City, dealing a blow to the progressive New York City mayor after homeowners sued over the policy. The tax would apply to people who own, but do not reside full-time in, any house worth more than $5m, or a condominium or cooperative unit worth at least $1m. The temporary, emergency pause comes after a group of homeowners filed a lawsuit against the mayor and the city’s finance director over the tax last week. They allege the city wrongly identified their homes as potentially subject to the surcharge despite the properties serving as their primary residences. “The city has arbitrarily and capriciously foisted onto New York City residents the burden of proving they are not subject to the surcharge,” reads the complaint filed on Friday. The temporary pause was issued by a state judge on Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported, and means the city is barred from issuing any additional letters notifying homeowners of their potential tax l