CHICAGO URBAN DAILY
CHICAGO (CHICAGO URBAN DAILY)— Today is budget day at City Hall — and Mayor Brandon Johnson is walking into the City Council chamber with the one tax aldermen told him not to bring.
Johnson delivers his 2027 budget address today, laying out a $17.6 billion spending plan built around a revived corporate head tax — this time rebranded as the “Equitable Employer Tax.” The proposal would charge $25 a month per employee for businesses with more than 125 workers, generating a projected $101 million a year. Only about 2.8% of registered corporations would pay it, per the mayor’s office, and employers in socio-economically disadvantaged census tracts could apply for a full rebate.
He’s also pushing a third increase in the tax on equipment rentals and cloud computing — already the highest in the nation — and nearly doubling the sports betting tax from 10.25% to 20%.
Here’s the problem: 29 aldermen drew a line in the sand last month — no property tax hike, no head tax, no counting on Springfield money that doesn’t exist yet. Johnson is following two of those three. The head tax, his opponents have declared dead on arrival.
“We’re losing our democracy,” Johnson said this month, pointing to corporations he says are making more money than ever while working people stand in food lines. His question to the council: “Will the corporate-aligned caucus have the collective courage to choose the interests and priorities of Chicagoans?”
The $882.4 million gap for 2027 is real, and every seat in that chamber is on the ballot next year. This fight just became the re-election campaign.
Stay tuned to Chicago Urban Daily as the council reacts.
Reported by Chicago Urban Daily News. Visit chicagourbandailynews.com for updates.
