They aren’t calling it that, of course, they are calling it a “Tax on non-resident owners,” but basically, it’s money laundering: (The London property market even more so)

Pressure to find revenue to finance a $40 billion fix for New York’s subways, buses and regional commuter rail has sparked renewed city and state interest in a tax on wealthy non-residents who own luxury city apartments.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s budget director, Robert Mujica, jump-started the idea Wednesday in a statement that totaled up potential revenue sources for regional transit funding: $15 billion from congestion pricing, $5 billion from Internet sales, and $2 billion from yet-to-be-legalized cannabis. The so-called “pied-à-terre tax” on non-resident owners could raise as much as $9 billion, Mujica said.

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Mayor Bill de Blasio has preferred a millionaires’ income tax on city residents. Since that proposal hasn’t received support in the legislature, the mayor said Thursday he could back the luxury-apartment tax.

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The proposal has been opposed by the Real Estate Board of New York, the trade group for an industry that accounts for more than 30 percent of the city’s tax revenue. The board has said it would harm the city’s economy by suppressing investment, cutting jobs and lowering demand for high-priced apartment towers.

 Mandy Rice-Davies applies to the statement by the Real Estate Board of New York, “Well, they would say that, wouldn’t they?”

If there is a sure fire way to destroy your community, it is pandering to realtors, developers, and bankers.