CFIB calls for lower property tax rates for small businesses in Atlantic Canada

A CFIB report says Atlantic Canadian small businesses pay two-or-three times more in property taxes than residential property owners.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business is calling on local and provincial governments to reduce commercial property tax rates for small businesses in Atlantic Canada, saying they aren’t being taxed fairly.

According to a recent report from the CFIB, commercial property tax rates are typically more than double the residential rates, which it says has small businesses paying thousands of dollars more in property taxes.

“Small business confidence remains on shaky ground because of Canada-US trade tensions, lower consumer demand, and high costs,” said Duncan Robertson, CFIB’s director of legislative affairs for Nova Scotia, in a news release.

“Municipalities need to provide improved fairness in how they set property tax rates. If they are serious about supporting small businesses, its time to show it.”

Property tax gap by municipality

Tax bill on a $372,500 property

Author’s calculations = from municipal tax rates. Municipal property tax rates taken from municipal websites. Note: HRM rates are averages of the area and tiered rates. $372,500 is the average of the Canadian Real Estate Association’s National MLS Home Price Index for St. John’s, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick in April 2025.

Call to lower property tax rates

The CFIB says more than 70 per cent of small business owners believe municipalities should make it a priority to limit property tax increases and close the gap between residential and commercial property tax ratees.

“This unfairness has a real impact on small businesses and in turn their customers with six in 10 small businesses having to increase prices to keep up with rising occupancy costs,” said Robertson. “With municipalities increasing costs on small businesses while providing them with little improvement in services, small businesses have one clear ask, better value for their money.”

Mir Hyder, a spokesperson for New Brunswick’s government, said the province is engaging with residents as it moves forward with fulfilling a commitment to make significant changes to the property tax system.

“New Brunswick has committed to overhauling the property tax system, with the goal of having a more predictable, transparent, fair, and affordable system for the 2027 taxation year and beyond,” said Hyder in an email

Hyder said a consultation and engagement process is underway that will include input from business communities, local governments, municipal associations and the general public.

New Brunswicker residents are invited to participate in a public survey that is available online until Aug. 10.

The CFIB is calling on local and provincial governments to do the following:

• reduce commercial property tax rates for small businesses
• close the property tax gap between commercial and residential properties
• engage in sustainable spending practices that keep spending and tax levies in line with growth in population and inflation

The findings of the report are based on 412 responses from a random sample of CFIB members between June 3 and June 9 of this year.

The CFIB is Canada’s largest association of small- and medium-sized businesses with 100,000 members, including more than 4,200 in Nova Scotia.

-With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Derek Haggett