Jeff Bezos warns Mamdani on NYC taxes, Amazon founder hits slams wasteful spending

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has weighed in on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s proposed pied-à-terre tax, which would levy an annual surcharge on non-primary residences valued at $5 million or more, according to a report by Fortune. Bezos, who himself owns a residence in the city, said that the proposed tax itself was ‘a fine thing for New York to do’, likening it to hotels that fall on out-of-towners. Bezos has cautioned that increasing the hotel taxes too aggressively could backfire. “If you raise the hotel taxes too much, tourists stop coming. So you have to be judicious,” he said, urging city leaders to balance revenue generation with economic competitiveness.Criticism of villain strategyBezos also criticised Mamdani’s April 14 video filmed outside Citadel CEO Ken Griffin’s Central Park South penthouse, which announced the tax proposal. “Ken Griffin isn’t a villain. He hasn’t hurt anybody. He’s not hurting New York.