From film stars to singers and billionaires, the addresses of some of New York City’s wealthiest homeowners have been revealed after the Department of Finance (DOF) published a searchable database of properties that could fall under the new pied-à-terre tax pushed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, aimed at homes that are not their owners’ primary residences. Mamdani first floated the levy in April, in a video filmed outside the Manhattan penthouse of billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin.
Records posted on the DOF’s website identified thousands of entities potentially in the crosshairs of the tax on luxury second homes. The database has, however, proved far larger than officials initially suggested: it reportedly lists more than 960,000 properties citywide, dwarfing the 31,000 homes originally estimated to be liable when Mamdani and New York Governor Kathy Hochul first presented the proposal to the public. The scale and public nature of the release have drawn sharp criticism, with the Partnership for New York City warning that publishing owners’ names alongside their home addresses creates unnecessary safety and privacy risks that go well beyond what transparency over tax administration requires.
Among the names identified by the New York Post and scattered throughout the list are figures from business, politics and the arts, including actress and former New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon, a committed Mamdani supporter.
Pop star Taylor Swift’s Tribeca residence also appears to have been included, listed under the entity Euro Tribeca LLC. Oscar-nominated director Darren Aronofsky is likewise among the celebrities named, alongside an Upper East Side property owned by the Woody Allen 2005 Revocable Trust and another belonging to Helen Morris Scorsese, wife of acclaimed director Martin Scorsese.
The list also includes addresses linked to author Deepak Chopra, journalist Gay Talese, and the trust of the late “60 Minutes” presenter Morley Safer. Fashion world icon and former Vogue editor Anna Wintour features on the list too, along with her address in downtown Manhattan. A property connected to Randy Mastro, first deputy mayor under former Mayor Eric Adams, was also included in the register, as was a home belonging to Steven Siegel, former chairman of global commercial real estate firm CBRE.
The residence of billionaire businessman and philanthropist Leonard Stern was listed as well, alongside those of real estate developers Morris Moinian and Bruce Ratner.
‘Realtor of the year’
Not one but two City Council members appeared on the document, which was supposed to cover only secondary residences. Among them was Democratic City Council member Gale Brewer, who said of her Upper West Side home that she has lived there full time since 1994 and insisted the entire list must therefore be mistaken.
Also named was City Council Minority Leader David Carr, a Republican, who said the mayor was a shoo-in for “realtor of the year” in Texas, referring to the anticipated mass departure of wealthy New Yorkers to states with more favourable tax regimes. “As per state law, a property roll was released for public inspection. From this roll, the DOF will identify properties that may be subject to the new surcharge on properties that are not a primary residence,” a spokesperson for the Department of Finance said.
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