Chicago’s working-class neighborhoods are being pushed to the breaking point—skyrocketing rents, overwhelmed shelters, and too few public resources. Yet the ultra-wealthy and the biggest corporations continue to thrive, shielded from paying their fair share. That’s why Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposed head tax on large corporations is not just reasonable—it’s necessary.

The plan would require major employers to pay $21 per employee, generating an estimated $100 million annually to fund essential services and ease the pressure on communities like Little Village, Austin, and Roseland. But Governor JB Pritzker—despite once backing a progressive income tax—has come out firmly against this measure, calling it harmful to business.

Let’s be clear: protecting billionaire profits should never come before protecting people.

When Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez demanded answers from the governor at a Veterans Day event, he gave voice to the frustration felt by countless families who are being left behind. Communities on the South and West Sides, many impacted by federal immigration policy and economic neglect, deserve solutions—not political silence.

We cannot wait for another failed statewide referendum while our neighborhoods suffer. Governor Pritzker must either get back in the fight for fair taxation or stop standing in the way of those who are.

We, the undersigned, call on Governor JB Pritzker to support Mayor Johnson’s proposed head tax on large corporations and work with the city to fund urgent community needs. The wealthy and well-connected have had defenders for long enough—it’s time to stand with the people.

Photo: Chicago Tribune