Analysis on City Council Alternative Budget Proposal for Chicago FY26 City Budget
An Institute for the Public Good analysis of the alternative budget proposal made public on December 2, 2025 found that it is constructed with fraught assumptions, core contradictions, and an overall increased cost burden on working class Chicagoans. It rests on a key trade–removal of a corporate tax for regressive fees, cuts in youth jobs, and reduced health care benefits for city workers.
“Cost efficiencies” in healthcare benefit cuts, as outlined in the Ernst & Young report, would sharply increase the cost of care for tens of thousands of Chicago city workers.
A new research brief by the Institute for the Public Good shows the potential detrimental effects of cutting $103 million in healthcare benefits, and decreasing access to healthcare for Chicago city workers, as recommended by the Ernst & Young budget analysis.
Comparative of Chicago Corporate Taxation to Peer Cities in the United States
A new study by the Institute for the Public Good shows that Chicago is in the bottom half of direct corporate taxation compared to the top 10 economies in the United States.
Modernizing the Head Tax
Chicago has a nearly $1B budget crisis. Garbage fees and property tax hikes have been floated to close it instead of touching corporate wealth. The Head Tax is the clearest way to stop balancing the books on working people.
New Revenue Measure Can Close the Budget Gap While Addressing Income Inequality
Institute for the Public Good’s report that outlines a solution to closing the budget gap while addressing income inequality through a new revenue measure that taxes large corporations on high expense payrolls.
This report outlines the revenue measure, as well as a brief on the evolution of corporate taxation and income inequality at both the local and federal level.