NEW YORK, NY — New York’s Republican slate of statewide candidates today held a press conference outside City Hall to denounce Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s proposal to slash New York’s estate tax exemption and impose what amounts to a death tax on middle class families.
Joined by gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman and Attorney General candidate Saritha Komatireddy, State Comptroller candidate Joseph Hernandez warned that Mamdani’s plan to drop the exemption from $7.35 million to $750,000, combined with a nearly 10 percent property tax increase, would hit families who have spent a lifetime building something in this state and are now being told they cannot pass it on.
“This is not tax policy, this punishment,” said Hernandez. “New Yorkers are already being squeezed by high costs, high taxes, and a government that keeps demanding more. Now Mamdani wants to go even further and tax you when you die.”
Hernandez also pointed to the lack of oversight under Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, noting that state spending has surged dramatically while New Yorkers continue to fall further behind. He argued that Albany’s problem is not a lack of revenue, but a refusal to confront waste, fraud, and mismanagement.
“Albany does not have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem,” Hernandez said. “They waste billions, refuse to audit themselves, and then ask taxpayers for more, even going so far as to take what families leave behind.”
As Comptroller, Hernandez pledged to audit the entire state budget, aggressively pursue fraud, waste, and abuse, and restore transparency to state government. He emphasized that with proper oversight and discipline, New York would not need to rely on higher taxes to sustain itself.
“I will be a watchdog, not a lapdog,” Hernandez said. “If we do the job of oversight the right way, we can protect taxpayers, grow the economy, and ensure families are able to build a future here and pass it on.”
Hernandez and the Republican statewide ticket framed the election as a clear choice between continued tax increases and economic decline or a new direction focused on accountability, growth, and keeping families in New York.
“New York should be a place where you can build a life, retire, and pass something on to your family,” Hernandez said. “Not a place where the government takes it when you are gone.”