MAGA Is Melting Down Over NYC’s New Luxury Tax Plan, But The Jokes About It Are Way Too Accurate

    “This is actually one of the scariest things I have seen. It won’t stop here.” LOL right.

    NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani released his plan to "tax the rich" on Thursday, and people have a TON of thoughts about it.

    Person in a suit delivers a speech at a podium labeled "NYC 2023 Address," appearing focused and engaged with the audience

    The proposal would impose a tax on second homes in NYC valued at $5 million or more. Essentially, it's a luxury tax on the ultra-wealthy who own prime real estate they don't actually live in. Governor Kathy Hochul expects the measure to generate about $500 million annually to help close NYC's budget gap.

    A group of officials stands behind a podium during a press event. One man is speaking, and others, dressed in business attire, listen attentively

    Mamdani released a video about it, and it has gone very, very viral. According to his video director, it's already their most-viewed video of all time.

    Happy Tax Day, New York. We’re taxing the rich. pic.twitter.com/Wky2LFXC9W

    — Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) April 15, 2026
    NYCMayor/Twitter: @NYCMayor

    And let me tell you, the MAGAs are not happy about it!

    Person smiling closely at the camera with subtitle: "Well, today we're taxing the rich."

    Ben Shapiro lost it, calling Mamdani a "smarmy marxist": "This smarmy Marxist doesn't see taxes primarily as a way to provide necessary public services. He sees them as revenge. He celebrates the confiscation of wealth he did nothing to earn. This is pure class envy, and it's hideous."

    Ben Shapiro criticizes NYC Mayor Zohra Kwame Mamdani's tweet on taxing the rich, calling him a "smarmy Marxist" and accusing him of class envy

    Ted Cruz decided to chime in, saying, "Texas & Florida realtors’ phones are ringing…."

    Tweet screenshot by Ted Cruz commenting on NYC Mayor Zohra Kwame Mamdani's post about taxing the rich

    And former X CEO Linda Yaccarino called the clip "one of the scariest things" she's ever seen. Yes, really:

    Tweet by @lindayaX reads: "this is actually one of the scariest things I have seen. it won’t stop here." Includes an emoji of a worried face and a robot

    TERRIFYING.

    Tweet discussing taxation of billionaires, highlighting a retweet mentioning it's one of the scariest things seen

    Meanwhile, people who don't own $5 million pieds-à-terres had slightly different perspectives: "Yeah i mean this is great."

    Tweet screenshot with user commenting "Yeah I mean this is great." A video shows a person in a suit discussing taxes on the wealthy in New York

    This person pointed out one interesting detail of the tax strategy: "The cool thing about this policy is that there is a very easy way for the rich to avoid it: they can simply live in NYC full time. Instead of incentivizing the rich to leave New York it incentivizes them to *stay* in New York."

    A person stands on a city street at night, smiling, with a tweet about tax policy overlaid

    And then there are the jokes: "Somewhere out there there’s a dude who makes $20k a year who’s mad about this."

    Tweet from @emmaurabito quotes @NYCMayor joking about taxing the rich

    This one: "I make $45k/year, my truck payment is $800/month, and I am boiling mad about this."

    Tweet by Dalton Pruitt complaining about truck payments. Embedded tweet from Mayor Zohra Kwame Mamdani mentions taxing the rich

    And this one: "The number of people who will never see a million dollars in the lives complaining on behalf of rich folks about this is hilarious."

    A tweet by Harrison Lansing reads: "The number of people who will never see a million dollars in their lives complaining on behalf of rich folks about this is hilarious."

    I'll leave you with this final thought from a potential new resident: "It's surreal to say but this guy is so charismatic that it almost makes me want to move to nyc."

    A man in a suit stands smiling on a city street, with text stating commitment to taxing the rich

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