A Republican running to unseat Long Island Rep. Tom Suozzi slammed the incumbent Democrat for proposing a federal tax hike on people making over $400,000.
US Air Force veteran Greg Hach said self-styled moderate Suozzi is sounding like socialist New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani — and labeled him “Taxman Tom.”
“There’s no difference between a socialist tax hike and a Suozzi tax hike — they both accelerate the exodus [from New York],” Hach, an attorney, told The Post.
“Tom Suozzi wins the sophistry award this week for the most duplicitous and ridiculous attempt to hoodwink his own voters,” he railed.
“Mr. Suozzi has pledged to raise federal taxes next year on his own constituents because he doesn’t believe they pay enough in taxes now. What planet is he living on?”
Hach added, “I’m not here to raise your taxes. I’m here to raise your prospects.”
Hach and others in the GOP embraced Suozzi’s tax hike pitch as a political gift they can hammer the rep with in next year’s campaign for the swing Third Congressional District that encompasses parts of Nassau County and Queens.
Suozzi won re-election in 2022 by just 3 percentage points against former GOP Assemblyman Michael Li Petri.
The Republicans currently control both chambers of Congress and there’s no chance that Suozzi’s tax the rich proposal will get traction — at least this year.
The top 1% of NY taxpayers already pay over 40% of state income taxes and raising the federal levy increases the burden, Hach said.
Long Island alone has lost tens of thousands of high-earning families and small business owners in the last five years, driving up local costs as the tax base erodes, he claimed.
Migration studies show that high-tax and spending states including New York lose residents Low-tax states such as Florida, Texas and Tennessee gain them, including former New Yorkers.
“When top-bracket families leave, they take jobs, philanthropy, business activity, and local spending with them,” Hach said.
“Middle-class Long Islanders get stuck holding the bag — with higher property taxes, higher prices, and fewer employers.”
But a poll released Tuesday by Siena College suggests Suozzi’s tax the rich position is popular — even in the wealthier suburbs.
The survey found that 60% of registered voters statewide support increasing taxes on the top 5% earners.
In the suburbs, 61% of voters supporting taxing the rich, as did 72% of Dems and even 40% of Republicans, according the poll.
Suozzi told The Post last week a federal tax income hike is fairer because it covers all of the US and doesn’t pit states against each other.
He also claimed the revenues from the wealth tax hike would be used to lower state and local taxes.
“We should raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans at the federal level, not at the state or city level,” he said in a statement.
“Taxes are already too high in New York and people are leaving.”
Additional revenue raised from the fees should be returned to the state and used “specifically for local tax relief,” he said.
“New York sends far more tax dollars to Washington than it gets back, even as families and businesses struggle under some of the highest tax burdens in the nation,” said Suozzi, who had backed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo over Mamdani in the mayoral race.
“We should bring that money home to reduce the burden on New Yorkers and keep people from leaving our state.
A rep for Suozzi said the congressman stood by his proposal.
It’s unclear if Hach will win the GOP nomination, but Nassau County Republican Party chairman Joe Cairo said hitting Suozzi for pushing for tax hikes will be a major campaign issue no matter who the nominee is.
“Our team will make an announcement in the near future, selecting a candidate who will provide real tax relief as an alternative to Tom Suozzi’s extreme agenda, which includes voting ‘NO’ on tax cuts and ‘NO’ to enhancing SALT deductions for tax-weary Long Island homeowners,” he said.
