WASHINGTON — DC Mayor Muriel Bowser recently criticized New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s proposal to increase taxes for New Yorkers, urging Washington, D.C. residents to oppose similar initiatives in their city.
Bowser, a Democrat not pursuing a fourth term, highlighted that the responsibility for property tax decisions lies with the DC Council, cautioning that local officials sometimes emulate policies from New York City.
“I just heard the mayor of New York City suggest raising property taxes for everyone there,” Bowser remarked during a budget forum with senior citizens on Wednesday. “Sometimes these ideas make their way to us.”
She encouraged residents to communicate with Council members, emphasizing, “Make sure you let them know you do not want any property tax increases.”
On Tuesday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani introduced a proposal to raise property taxes by 9.5% as a “last resort” to support an $11 billion budget increase. He also hinted at the possibility of tapping into the city’s reserve funds.
Mamdani has been advocating for a 2% income tax increase on New Yorkers earning over $1 million to finance a significant expansion of government spending.
But that hike would require approval from the state, and Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has opposed it due to concerns about capital flight.
The Big Apple is facing a projected $5.4 billion deficit over two years, according to the mayor. Notably, Mamdani suggested the gap was at about $12 billion just a few weeks ago.
New York state is giving the city $1.5 billion to help plug the gap.
Mamdani’s proposal for a monster property tax hike is largely seen as a ploy to muscle Hochul into green-lighting his demands for an increase on the rich.
Bowser’s jab at Mamdani came while she was underscoring her opposition to property tax hikes and noting that it is “something for us to watch in this budget process.”
She had been asked by a resident who decides whether to jack up property taxes, and about a projected $1 billion budget hole.
Bowser has occasionally butted heads with the progressive flank of her party. For example, in 2023, she vetoed a criminal justice reform measure that passed the city council, fearing it would let crime increase.
Ultimately, the federal government intervened and moved to quash that measure after the Council overrode Bowser’s veto.
The DC mayor also taken heat from the left for attempting to take a diplomatic approach with President Trump, who hasn’t been shy about meddling in the affairs of the nation’s capital.
