Owning one home in New York City is a dream far beyond what many people could afford. But in one of the most expensive cities in the world, some people have not only a first, but a second, home. At the end of July, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced plans to charge a "pied-à-terre" home tax — an annual fee for second homes worth more than $5m, or condos and co-ops worth more than $1m. The government published a list of people who might have to pay the tax. This list became a main topic at a city council oversight meeting this week. Council member Gale Brewer supported the tax but pointed to "challenges" with its implementation. Council member Kamillah Hanks said the list unfairly targets homeowners and could be a security issue. "A hit list of the haves and the have-nots - a scarlet letter," Hanks said during a heated public meeting on Tuesday. New York City's Department of Finance said the addresses and personal information were already available to the public, as data the administration is legally required to provide each year. But Hanks said the administration was suggesting that home ownership was something "to be ashamed of". The list included nearly one million properties, including addresses for celebrities and wealthy residents such as hedge fund manager Ken Griffin and his $239m penthouse, director Woody Allen, former Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and actress Cynthia Nixon. The city sent tax notices to 17,000 people. At the hearing, others voiced support for the charge and accused wealthy neighbours of using the hearing as an excuse to complain about rising taxes. "I think the wealthy homeowners here doth protest too much," said Dave Backer, a professor of school finance. Beverly Solo, a 44-year resident wearing a shirt saying "Tax The Rich", said the measure could raise important money for city services. "It seems reasonable and fair to ask those who don't pay full-time income taxes here, but have luxury homes here for pleasure, to contribute to the wellbeing of New York City," she said. But she added the rollout had been "a mess". A group of homeowners has sued over the rollout, asking to unpublish the list. Mamdani has defended the tax as a fair way to generate $500m in annual revenue. Governor Kathy Hochul has supported the tax. The mayor ran on a platform of affordability, pledging to raise taxes for services like universal child care and free buses. His pledge sparked backlash from some wealthy residents. Representatives for Mamdani's administration did not attend Tuesday's hearing. A spokesperson said the administration asked to postpone the hearing due to the legal challenge, but the council declined. Jason Haber said the list threatens people's safety. "Imagine the gift this is to scammers, to fraudsters, to anyone with ill will," he said. He said a foreign actor could download the list and send phishing emails. Haber said some buyers have paused searches for expensive properties because of the tax. "It's the surprise of this and the confusion of this that's really pushing everyone over the edge," he said. But Morris Pearl, a former BlackRock managing director, called the idea that people are not investing because of the tax "absurd". "The whole point of being rich is you can live wherever you want," said Pearl. "Someone who owns a residence that is not their primary residence that's worth more than $5m has the ability to pay more than most New Yorkers do." Across the world, some countries and cities already experiment with similar secondary home taxes. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.