A resurfaced campaign clip is dogging New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani after he warned of a potential property tax increase that critics say contradicts his earlier promises.
According to the New York Post, the video, filmed during the campaign and shared widely online, shows Mamdani assuring voters that only the city’s highest earners would face higher taxes.
“I don’t want to pay more taxes,” “Subway Takes” host Kareem Rahma tells him in the clip.
“Do you make more than $1 million or more a year?” Mamdani jokes with the host as he shakes his head no.
“Then your taxes are not going up. The only taxes that we are proposing are on the 1% of New Yorkers who make $1 million or more a year,” he says in the video, which has raked in 1.1 million likes on Instagram.
The clip began circulating again after Mamdani introduced a preliminary $127 billion budget that includes a proposed 9.5% property tax increase.
City Hall framed the potential hike as a “last resort” to address a projected $5.4 billion shortfall, unless state leaders approve a higher income tax on millionaires.
Online reaction was swift once the two messages were compared.
“This didn’t age good,” one commenter wrote beneath the resurfaced video.
“This did not age well … Property taxes going up for all. Good job NY,” another user posted.
Another commenter shared a meme reading, “This was all a dream.”
Housing industry representatives warned the proposed increase would hit homeowners directly and could ripple into higher rents.
They argued the move would place additional pressure on residents already dealing with rising housing costs.
Mamdani has said the property tax option would only move forward if Albany and Gov. Kathy Hochul do not approve the income tax hike on top earners that he has pushed for.
The renewed attention on his past remarks comes as negotiations over the city budget and state tax policy continue.
