Comedians Dana Carvey and David Spade have voiced criticism regarding New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration's decision to publish a searchable database of property owners.
During their "Fly on the Wall" podcast, Carvey and Spade discussed the city's pied-à-terre tax, which imposes an additional surcharge on high-value homes worth more than $5 million that are not the owner's primary residence. The tax was passed by the New York State Legislature in May.
Mamdani's administration released a list of over 900,000 properties as part of a "supplemental market value roll." A city official later clarified that this list was mandated by the state for the Department of Finance to assess properties for the surcharge and was not exclusively a list of pied-à-terre properties.
"He really bombed it. But it was a lot of famous people. It said their houses, and I was like, 'ohhh,'" Spade commented on the published list. Both comedians agreed that publishing the addresses was "dangerous," with Spade adding, "I don't know. They got kids. I don't know about that."
Carvey described the situation as "a little weird." He also performed a mocking impression of the mayor, referencing a "tax bomb."
The Department of Finance has reportedly sent surcharge letters to approximately 17,000 homeowners who may be subject to the tax. Property owners have until September 18 to apply for an exemption if they believe their property does not meet the criteria.
Steven Fulop, CEO of the Partnership for New York City, also expressed concerns about the list's framing, stating that while the information was public, its aggregation and presentation targeted citizens. He suggested that highlighting vacant residences and their addresses could pose safety risks and that the administration's approach focuses on "performative stuff as opposed to substantive policies."