Zohran Mamdani, the new mayor of New York City, wants affordability and equity through big-government intervention. His platform includes city-owned grocery stores, rent freezes, a $30 minimum wage, free buses, universal child care, and small-business reforms focused on improving compliance.

Mamdani, a self-proclaimed socialist, has a threefold plan: “cut fines and fees for small businesses in half; speed up permitting and make online applications easier; [and] increase funding for 1:1 small business support by 500%.”

While assisting small-business owners in navigating bureaucracy and making it more affordable to operate are bipartisan objectives, Mamdani’s solutions are not as commendable as they may appear.

New York’s small?business problem is not just the cost of compliance; it’s the 6,000 rules and roughly 250 business?related licenses and permits that owners must navigate to........

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