1 million remains the hallmark of 'wealthy' (as in: not us), to the point where pop culture has started mocking the concept decades ago (See: That Austin Powers movie...)
Hardly everyone understands 'owning a house' as millionaire-level wealth. Which is why people cheer the policy on until they realize it is them who is being shaken down.
In what world is 1 million US not wealthy? Have tech salaries distorted people's opinions that much?
Owning a house where your equity in it is over a million is absolutely wealthy.
You are confusing owning a house with having paid off a mortgage. I can go get a mortgage for $1 million tomorrow, but that does not make me a millionaire. It makes me an debtor with a house I can't afford.
Almost nobody casually owns a second home in New York worth $1m or more. What a dumb comment (like pretty much every comment criticizing this tax--just stupid and immoral).
Sure, but it's only a shakedown if it's an unoccupied second home, which is hard to have sympathy for. It can easily be an occupied second home (family, renters) or a first home for those in the upper middle class paying for $1mm+ apartments in NYC. I'm not really worried about Jeff Bezos or some Hollywood actor's crash pad when they have business in nyc.