The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce issued the following statement in response to Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposed 2026 budget:
“Mayor Johnson’s proposed 2026 budget relies on placing a tariff on jobs in Chicago and implementing policies that will further inflationary burdens on Chicago businesses and residents. If we want to be serious about fixing Chicago’s fiscal challenges, we need to focus on long-term strategies to grow and create jobs, not quick fixes and job-killing taxes like the head tax and cloud tax that hurt businesses of all sizes and sectors. The 2026 budget proposal includes about $200 million in cost reductions, when the budget has increased by more than $6 billion in recent years. Rather than embracing shared sacrifice, this budget seeks to tax and borrow its way out of a deficit and, in the process, disincentivize job creation and hiring, deter relocation and expansion, and make Chicago less attractive at a time when national and global competition for jobs and investment is at an all-time high.
“The best way to address our fiscal challenges and strengthen essential city services is through growth. We stand ready to work with the mayor and members City Council to find serious solutions that will attract and support new employers, expand growing industries, and strengthen our tax base through opportunity and investment in every neighborhood,” said Jack Lavin, President and CEO of Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce.