Gov. Kathy Hochul wouldn’t rule out future income tax hikes in the Empire State on Tuesday — as questions swirl over how the state will fund its promised universal child care program.

The Democratic governor, who is up for re-election this year, stood by a pledge not to slam taxpayers with an increase this year but wouldn’t rule out future increases as she faces mounting pressure to fund a freebie-filled agenda favored by the liberal wing of her party and Big Apple Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Now just 15 days into the Mamdani administration, Hochul appeared to be softening her stance and pointed the finger at the Trump administration as possible justification.

“Obviously we have to look at if Donald Trump eviscerates half our budget or some cataclysmic circumstance in the future, I have to keep all options on the table,” Hochul said pressed by The Post on how her vision of universal child care would be funded after this year’s initial $4.5 billion overall investment.

Hochul said she will not raise taxes this year in order to fund the new investments taking effect this year — including $3.2 billion in Child Care Assistance Program subsidies and $500 million for schools to ensure access to Pre-K for 4-year olds and full funding for the first two years of New York City’s “2-Care” program for 2-year olds.

“I don’t support raising taxes just for the sake of raising taxes,” Hochul added.

Hochul hasn’t provided estimates on how much she expects her overarching vision will cost the state – including universal child care for kids 5-years old and up that will be fully implemented in 2028.

Estimates from third party groups set the price tag as between $12 billion to $15 billion.

Hochul hasn’t set boundaries on what she’ll do to pay for the lengthy to-do list in future years — after her re-election bid.

“I don’t want to do any more than we have to do. It’s all working right now,”  Hochul said Wednesday morning on NY1,

Just over a month ago before Mamdani took office, Hochul drew a much firmer line when asked if she would be open to raising taxes.

“I’m not raising income taxes because I believe that we want to make sure that New York is more affordable for everybody,” she told FOX 5 at the time.

Hochul is due to propose her budget on Jan. 20 after hitting a record-breaking $254 billion last year. She faces potential funding cuts amid an adversarial relationship with the Trump administration and a budget gap projected to reach $12.6 billion by the 2029 fiscal year.

The governor is now facing mounting pressure from the left of her party to increase taxes on the wealthy to fund their progressive wish lists. That push comes after socialist Mamdani campaigned on the issue in 2025 with his supporters even chanting at Hochul during a campaign event, shouting “Tax the Rich” as she tried to address the crowd.

Hochul is also contending with a primary challenge from Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, who has called for hiking income and corporate taxes immediately to fund child care. Earlier this week he called Hochul’s childcare plan “incomplete and unfunded.”