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Komatireddy calls Mamdani's estate tax proposals anti-immigrant
NY Attorney general candidate Saritha Komatireddy accused Mamdani of punishing the American Dream that her parents saw.
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Jeffin T. Kaleekal - Wed, 01, Apr 2026
- 02:36 EDT
- 30
Saritha Komatireddy and Zohran Mamdani / X (Saritha Komatireddy) and Wikimedia commons
Saritha Komatireddy, the Republican pick for the New York attorney general's office, hit out at fellow Indian origin leader and NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani for his proposed hike in estate tax.
In a proposal that has the potential to shake the very economic foundations of the country's most populous city, the NYC mayor has pushed for a reshaping of the city's estate tax system, including raising the top rate to 50 percent and sharply lowering the threshold at which the tax applies.
Amid mounting fiscal pressure, the Mamdani administration recently floated the idea to reduce New York’s estate tax exemption from more than $7 million to $750,000 while simultaneously increasing the top estate tax rate from the current 16 percent to 50 percent.
Reacting to the news, Komatireddy noted that she understood the pain the move would cause to parents because she was a mother of four and also because her immigrant parents also struggled to create something of value and pass it on to her.
She said, "When my parents came to New York in the 1980s and started off in a small apartment in Coney Island near Avenue Z, they had the same dream as many other immigrant New Yorkers: to work hard, own something of their own, and pass it on to their children."
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Komatireddy added that the "tax will devastate immigrant families and other communities of color who spend a lifetime trying to build something, only to see that it will crumble at the time of their passing."
When my parents came to New York in the 1980s and started off in a small apartment in Coney Island near Avenue Z, they had the same dream as many other immigrant New Yorkers: to work hard, own something of their own, and pass it on to their children.
— Saritha Komatireddy (@sarithaforny) March 31, 2026
This tax punishes that…
Komatireddy currently serves as deputy chief of appeals at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and is an Indian-American attorney, former federal prosecutor, and Republican nominee challenging incumbent Letitia James for New York Attorney General in 2026.
Mamdani's bold plan to tackle the projected $5.4 billion budget deficit for the next financial year was accused of punishing the American Dream that her parents saw by Komatireddy.
Quoting statistics to back her claims, Komatireddy said, "According to the Center for Migration Studies, immigrants — specifically, naturalized citizens — have the highest rate of home ownership in New York. Close to 45% own their homes."
Her comments came as she reposted a New York Post report on Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman's fierce opposition to the estate tax proposal.
She also attended a City Hall press conference on March 31 with Blakeman to discuss their opposition to Mamdani's proposal.
Mamdani would require the legislative backing of New York Governor Kathy Hochul and the Democratic-run state Legislature to bring the proposals to force.
The Mayor's ambitious economic plans are finding it hard to find favor from Governor Hochul. She has opposed increasing taxes on high earners, including potential changes to estate or top-tier income taxes, citing concerns that higher levies could cause wealthy residents to leave New York.
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