The pied-a-terre tax seemed to be embraced by just about all ‘common sense’ New Yorkers as a way to tax the rich without dipping into the pockets of the middle class. After all, how else are we going to pay for the government run grocery stores and universal childcare? Let’s get those millionaires who have their second homes worth 5 Million or more to pay extra taxes. It makes sense, except the ‘roll-out’ of collecting those taxes makes it clear that the administration might have been thinking something different. Reportedly 17,000 New York property owners, some of whom claimed their homes were not at the 5 million dollar threshold, got letters demanding they show proof that their property is their primary home. To put further salt on the scar there is a database of 900K homes listed online that have been named as subject to the tax… What???
And, as for those who got the letter, they had until August 22nd to prove their home is their primary residence or they are subject to all sorts of fines or taxes. Early this week a judge put a temporary stay on the August 22nd deadline – and some of our sources tell us that, although the city attorneys will certainly fight the order, the hasty ‘roll-out’ from the department of finance left a lot to be desired. We have to ask ‘who came up with the idea that making people prove something is the appropriate way to act when you are in charge?’ What might be more important is that although it is common thought that those who voted for the mayor might not be affected by the tax, many still get the feeling the mayor for all people should be more careful when looking at the roll-out of any plan.
Distracting from what the WNBA is all about
We interview dozens of legislators, candidates, political staffers, athletes, and coaches every month. It’s our job. Some are done in our offices, some out in the field, some in their offices, but one thing is true… nobody likes to get the ‘boo bash’ at an event. Sure, every once in a while it is par for the course, but after a while, it is not tolerable.
It’s actually cringe-worthy to stand there and hear the mayor get booed, but make no mistake, it’s going to continue to happen. Not sure how he is going to stop it, but we are convinced it’s going to be a thing for a while. It started with cops, then firefighters and it trickled down to the working class. We are not endorsing that kind of reaction when the mayor shows up at an event, but we suspect he will have to more selective of events at which he will speak. After all, are we really going to hear three more years of heckling?
It’s as distracting as what’s going on these days in the WNBA, with all the social values of players and coaches being laid out there on the court and the media, distracting from the high level basketball actually being played.
The boo birds were out at the Barclays Center too, with fans blaming Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco for Betnijah Laney-Hamilton’s departure and the team’s struggles earlier this season. He might not be able to shake them without leading New York to a championship.
