Mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani continued his crusade to hike taxes on corporations and the uber wealthy — putting him on a collision course with his new Albany ally Gov. Kathy Hochul.
“The proposal we put forward would raise $9 billion and we would also raise an additional $1 billion from savings and reforms that can be done at the city level,” Mamdani said at a rally in The Bronx with health care union workers of 1199SEIU.
The increase in corporate tax, which he said would match surrounding states, and hike in taxes for the top 1 or 2% of New Yorker earners has been a cornerstone of the Queens lawmaker’s campaign.
The socialist candidate said the revenue would cover the loads of freebies being promised, such as free buses, childcare and city-run groceries.
Mamdani has also claimed he could cut NYPD overtime, which has recently come in at a tune of roughly $1 billion.
The plan puts him at odds with Hochul, who has repeatedly sworn to New Yorkers that the state would not raise taxes.
The governor railed against any new taxes back in June, pulling up a common Republican punchline that upping the cost on the wealthy would send more “people to Palm Beach.”
But since Hochul’s bombshell endorsement last week of Democratic nominee, she has largely dodged how the two will work together despite taxes being a key part of Mamdani’s mayoralty.
Mamdani holds a massive lead in the polls ahead of the Nov. 4 election in the heavily blue city, in a crowded ballot that also includes Republican Curtis Sliwa and Democrats running as independents, incumbent Mayor Eric Adams and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
It also comes as Hochul faces a tough road to hold onto power in Albany in her 2026 re-election bid as she loses support in the suburbs.
Pundits have said the governor hopes to galvanize the downstate vote behind her come next year as she’s set to square off against Rep. Elise Stefanik.
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