Mamdani’s Tax Pitch Gets a Rough Reception

Adriana Stone 0 1 min read

Mamdani’s Tax Pitch Gets a Rough Reception

Zohran Mamdani sat before state lawmakers in Albany this week. The session was brisk. He came with a promise: tax the wealthy to pay for city priorities.

Lawmakers pushed back. They wanted details. They wanted numbers. They wanted consequences.

Local coverage framed it bluntly: “Honeymoon is over” Zohran Mamdani grilled by lawmakers as he proposes to “tax the rich”

Mamdani’s core idea is a 2 percent bump in personal income tax for the top one percent of New York City earners. His math says someone making $1 million could cover an extra $20,000 a year. He also pointed to a federal plan he says would net tax relief for many New Yorkers.

State lawmakers raised practical objections. If New York City gets more revenue, what happens to other parts of the state? Will wealthy residents move? Will businesses leave? Those questions came up again and again.

One moment cut through the room. State Senator John Liu pressed him directly: “Once the honeymoon is over, which I think you’ve just felt, you may well prefer three minutes to 10,” State Senator John Liu, Chairman of New York City Education Committee ( D ), told Mamdani at one point. “Speaking of which, you know, it’s mid-February, so I will respectfully say that the time for blaming past Mayors and Governors is passed. We need to hear the details of your plan. And it’s good to hear your revenue proposals.”

Mamdani answered questions about his budget math. He said an earlier $12 billion shortfall estimate was too high. The revised gap is closer to $7 billion, he testified, and he claimed to have found $1 billion in efficiencies.

Lawmakers from other cities were wary. They warned that shifting revenue or tax burdens in New York City could ripple across the state. They also asked about on-the-ground services — from trash pickup to snow removal — and whether promised revenue would translate into immediate fixes.

Outside the budget talk, critics pointed to human costs. Local reports say 19 people have died of exposure on city streets since Mamdani took office. That fact framed some questions: fix immediate public-safety needs, then chase big policy goals.

The hearing turned into a practical, policy-first session. Campaign slogans met committee scrutiny. Lawmakers asked for specifics. Mamdani offered proposals and numbers. The debate is far from over.

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