Calgary, December 5, 2025 – Following the passage of Calgary’s 2026 Budget, Kayode Southwood, Alberta Senior Policy Advisor for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), issued the following statement:
“CFIB is disappointed to see Council cancel the planned 1% property tax shift from non-residential to residential properties in 2026. Currently, Calgary businesses pay almost half (46%) of the city’s property taxes, despite only making up 15% of its property assessment. The expected tax rate ratio of 4.60 in the 2026 budget forecast puts Calgary far above comparable cities like Edmonton, Vancouver, Toronto, and Ottawa—the cancelled shift will only make Calgary less competitive.”
“There is some relief on the horizon as Council has passed a plan to shift 2% of tax share from non-residential to residential properties over 8 years, starting in 2027. However, 2027 is far too late for businesses who are struggling with affordability today. This is a step towards providing fairness for the City’s businesses, though CFIB advocated for a 2% shift over 4 years to create more meaningful change.”
“While Vancouver City Council passed a 2026 budget with a 0 per cent tax increase, sadly Calgary City Council voted down a motion which would do the same. A 0% tax increase would have done more to help Calgary’s small businesses compete, particularly as they are not receiving the benefit of a tax shift in 2026.”
“CFIB will continue to make recommendations to Council over the next year to ensure the voices of the City’s small business are heard. Tax fairness is crucial to business health and we need to ensure minimal costs are downloaded on the City’s small businesses.”
For media enquiries or interviews, please contact:
Kayode Southwood, CFIB
403-489-7595
Kayode.Southwood@cfib.ca
About CFIB
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 100,000 members (10,000 in Alberta) across every industry and region. CFIB is dedicated to increasing business owners’ chances of success by driving policy change at all levels of government, providing expert advice and tools, and negotiating exclusive savings. Learn more at cfib.ca.