By Melanie Wilcox
New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, the presumptive Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, defended his plan Sunday to increase taxes on wealthier neighborhoods — described on his campaign website as “richer and whiter” areas — saying the move is about fairness in the property tax system, not race.
In an interview with Meet the Press, Mamdani explained that his proposal targets neighborhoods currently under-taxed compared to others, aiming to create a more equitable tax structure. He said this assessment is based on economic data and not motivated by racial considerations. (RELATED: Zohran Mamdani Ducks And Weaves When Asked To Condemn Term Calling For Killing Jews)
“It is not driven by race. It’s more of an assessment of what neighborhoods are being under taxed versus over taxed,” Mamdani stated. “The focus here is to actually ensure a fair property tax system.”
He also doubled down on his belief that billionaires should not exist, citing growing inequality as a key issue. “I don’t think that we should have billionaires because, frankly, it is so much money in a moment of such inequality,” Mamdani said. He added that despite this, he plans to work with all New Yorkers, including billionaires, to build a fairer city.
Mamdani proposed raising taxes on the top 1% of earners in New York City by an additional 2%, targeting those making over $1 million annually, to fund expanded rent stabilization, free bus service, and city-owned grocery stores.
Mamdani has called for pulling police out of high crime areas. He denounced the New York Police Department [NYPD], writing, “We don’t need an investigation to know that the NYPD is racist, anti-queer, and a major threat to public safety. What we need is to Defund The NYPD.” Mandani also said that “Queer liberation means defund the police.”
Zohran Mamdani has called for emptying jails, because “VioIence is an artificial construct.”
Mamdani has called for having the government run grocery stores, even though such stores lose money, cost taxpayers, and result in increased food waste and reduced choices of food. Mamdani also proposed arbitrary, extreme restrictions on rent that would leave landlords with too little money to maintain housing units, which could turn much of New York into a slum.
Laura Gillen, a House Democrat on Long Island, recently criticized Zohran Mamdani, saying, “Socialist Zohran Mamdani is too extreme to lead New York City. His entire campaign has been built on unachievable promises and higher taxes, which is the last thing New York needs. Beyond that, Mr. Mamdani has called to defund the police and has demonstrated a deeply disturbing pattern of unacceptable antisemitic comments which stoke hate at a time when antisemitism is skyrocketing. He is the absolute wrong choice for New York.”
