Prominent liberal podcaster and NYU professor Scott Galloway has criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration for publishing a searchable database listing affluent property owners potentially subject to the city’s proposed pied-à-terre tax. The database, released by the city's Department of Finance, allows users to search properties and view the names and addresses of owners of non-primary residences valued over $5 million.

Galloway, speaking on the "Pivot" podcast with co-host Kara Swisher, described the database as amounting to doxing, defined as “publishing private identifying information to expose someone to public pressure or harm without their consent.” While he supports the tax itself, Galloway expressed discomfort with how the list has become a "wanted poster" for property owners, questioning the purpose behind publicly identifying these individuals. He said, "The question I would have is, other than trying to identify and imply these people have done something wrong — and then, 18 months after a healthcare CEO was executed in the street, published the list — what is the upside here? Why is he doing this?"

A spokesperson for the Department of Finance stated that publication of the property roll was required by state law. Meanwhile, James Whelan, president of the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), told Fox News Digital that the organization opposed the tax partly because determining who is subject to it would be extraordinarily complicated.

Galloway further argued that the database runs counter to the spirit of New York, where success should be celebrated rather than stigmatized. "We’re not going to put a big R on your door and say you’ve done something wrong because you’re successful," he said.

The pied-à-terre tax targets non-primary residences valued above $5 million, aiming to generate revenue from wealthy property owners.

Sources