US | Ground Zero mosque Ground Zero Mosque in Tax Trouble Developer Sharif El-Gamal owes $224K in property taxes By Evann Gastaldo Posted Aug 29, 2010 4:37 PM CDT Copied In this Aug. 24, 2010 file photo, Sharif el-Gamal, developer of the planned Cordoba House and mosque in lower Manhattan, comments on a speech by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, Pool, File) Opponents of the “Ground Zero mosque” will likely have a field day with this one: Developer Sharif El-Gamal owes $224,270 in back taxes on the mosque site. El-Gamal’s company didn’t pay its tax bills in January or July, the New York Post reports. Though Con Edison owns half of the site, El-Gamal’s company is required to pay taxes on the entire property, meaning the tax bill could amount to a lease violation. The Post also notes that MTA must approve the project before building can commence, because two subway lines run underneath the site—but El-Gamal’s spokesperson says the taxes are paid and the “subway lines do not pose a problem.” Read These Next Husband of the Coldplay 'Kiss Cam' woman breaks his silence. Trump rips Tom Hanks after West Point cancels award ceremony. Wall Street is getting twitchy over falling lumber prices. He was on the run with his kids for 4 years. It just ended badly. Report an error