'He Has No Legal Authority': Gov. Cuomo Slices Into Mayor De Blasio's Vague Plan To Save Brooklyn Pizzeria
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Gov. Andrew Cuomo is chiming in on Mayor de Blasio's vow to save a beloved Brooklyn pizzeria.
The governor slammed down the mayor's vague promise to have Di Fara Pizza reopened – saying if he wants that to happen he better fork over his own "dough."
The New York State Department of Taxation shut down the Midwood pizzeria Tuesday, saying it owes more than $167,000 in back taxes.
Wednesday morning, de Blasio tweeted that he is trying to "help resolve this situation."
He added that "Di Fara is THE best pizza place in New York City. It MUST be saved. I'm ready to do anything I can to get them reopened."
MORE: De Blasio Ripped On Twitter For Offering Assistance To Pizzeria Shuttered For Not Paying Taxes
Wednesday night, at the New York State Fair in Syracuse, Cuomo had a saucy response to that cryptic promise.
"He has no legal authority to forgive state taxes. Now, if he wants to pay $200,000 on behalf of the pizza place, that's fine. And if he wants to get $200,000 worth of pizza, that's his business. But he can't forgive state taxes," the governor said.
It's still unclear what de Blasio meant by his tweet or what the plan would be to save the pizzeria.
Gov. Cuomo added that he has no intention of buying $200,000 worth of pizza to resolve the tax woes either.
Di Fara had been open in Brooklyn for 54 years, but told CBS2 Tuesday that they fell behind on their payment plan with tax collectors.