Appeals court reboots NYC pied-à-terre tax rollout after pause

New York City’s ultra-rich started the week with a reprieve from having to prove residency to avoid a pied-à-terre tax. But as the week ends, the reprieve itself proved fleeting. A state appeals judge yanked back the roadblock on Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s tax plan Thursday afternoon in a Staten Island court. Brought by three homeowners, the lawsuit that triggered the pause is now showing cracks. In its appeal, the city’s attorneys noted that one of the homeowners suing, Simon Hedley, filed his own administrative appeal a day after the lawsuit began. “The Department has approved his appeal,” the city’s court filing states, adding that Hedley “does not have standing to seek relief from the deadline for filing an administrative appeal” and that his “voluntary action has mooted any claim for relief.” Randy Mastro, the attorney representing the plaintiff homeowners, remains undaunted. “It is a shame that the city can’t own up to its own mistakes and admit that it has badly botched the rollout of this surcharge,” Mastro said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Instead, the administration is doubling down, going to court to ensure that it can continue harassing and threatening New York City...