The Chamber of Commerce is a well-known presence in any community. For owners of businesses large and small, it represents an opportunity to share resources and connect with other businesses.
But what many people don’t know is that the Chamber of Commerce uses their members' dues to lobby the state government in a way that actively harms small businesses and working families.
Maine’s Chamber of Commerce, in a recent promotional mailer, laid it all on the line opposing affordable healthcare and housing, clean air and clean water, and supporting tax havens, a policy that only benefits huge multinational corporations attempting to hide profits overseas. In short, the Chamber of Commerce doesn’t care about what’s good for Maine or Maine’s economy. They only care about huge multinational corporate interests.
We need solutions that put Maine’s small businesses and working families first. To help our families bounce back from months of uncertainty, hardship, and financial stress. To attract workers looking for a better quality of life to Maine, easing the labor shortage. Most importantly, to allow our small businesses and working families to thrive.
These solutions can be found in the policies proposed for the 2022 legislative session and supported by Mainers for Working Families. We endorse bills to relieve tax burdens for Maine families while ensuring corporations and the wealthy pay their fair share; to make affordable housing and healthcare more accessible; and to defend the rights of workers. These measures are good for small businesses. They’re good for working families. They’re good for Maine.