Clason Point Residents Wary of Property Tax Hike

Homeowners in the small community of Clason Point in the Bronx  oppose a property tax hike to resolve New York City’s current budget deficit. Maribel Garcia owns a small house where she lives with her children and her mom.  Mrs. Garcia respected Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s ambition when he ran for office, but now she worries he doesn’t have the working class in mind as much as before. “It’s bad for all of us [working class New Yorkers]… [Mr. Mamdani] comes from a good place,… but it’s risky,” she said.

Mamdani in February proposed a possible 9.5% property tax over the course of two years to resolve the city’s fiscal gap. This tax would affect the millions of New Yorkers who own homes, rent or own small businesses. The proposal quickly sparked statewide criticism. On the city level, Council Speaker Julie Menin said, “A significant property tax increase should not be on the table.”

Mrs. Garcia’s neighborhood is located on a peninsula in the southeastern part of the Bronx. Homeowners make up about 20 percent of the population. Real Estate websites put the median price of a house for sale at about $515,000, and affordability is important to people in the neighborhood.

Clason Point, Bronx Photo by Alexander Chavez.

Others assessed the tax hike idea in relation to what they can afford. Yamilet Rodriguez, her husband and son have lived in their brick two story duplex for over 10 years. She spoke to us in Spanish and she said “I knew it [the tax increase] was a real possibility, … but I don’t mind paying more.”

But Howard S., who didn’t provide his last name, disagreed. He and others see the tax hike proposal hurting middle class homeowners. “They shouldn’t hurt people,” he said. Most homeowners he points out will have trouble paying higher taxes with the cost of everything going up. He said “They just can’t. It’s hard.”  

Since he proposed the tax hike and received pushback, Mamdani has remained adamant about raising taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers and corporations. At the beginning of April, City Council Speaker Julie Menin offered her own solution. It involves reevaluating the city’s spending and profits from its businesses. Mayor Mamdani responded on social media, calling the proposal “unrealistic” and suggested that it would hit working class New Yorkers the hardest. 

Then in the middle of April, Governor Kathy Hochul surprised New Yorkers by proposing a “pied-a-terre tax” on luxury second homes in the city valued over $5 million. The money would help fill the city’s budget gap. The mayor again took to social media, promoting his “tax the rich” philosophy, and explaining how the tax aims at tackling a “fundamentally unfair system,” and reminding New Yorkers that he is fighting for them.

However, the state legislature still must vote to move forward with this plan. In the meantime many like those in Clason Point remain uncertain about what their tax bills will look like in the future.