Atlantic business owners express frustrations with their municipalities, but some cities are responding.
Halifax, September 3, 2024 – Seven in ten (69%) small businesses in Atlantic Canada do not believe their property taxes provide good value for money, and even more (72%) believe that municipal policies are unhelpful in growing their business, according to a new report from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).
CFIB’s 2024 iteration of the Atlantic Municipal Report found that property taxes ranked as the biggest issue for small businesses for a second-straight year, affecting six in ten (60%) businesses. Red tape (35%), affordability (30%), crime and safety (30%), and traffic congestion (19%) rounded out the top five largest issues.
“Many municipal policies are having largely negative impacts on businesses across the region,” stated Duncan Robertson, Senior Policy Analyst for Nova Scotia at CFIB. “High property tax burdens on commercial properties, expensive and inefficient permitting systems, and the lack of available resources for businesses affected by crime and construction are all hurting the bottom lines of business owners. Municipalities need to find innovative solutions and implement new policies if they want small businesses to not only survive, but thrive within their city.”
However, the report wasn’t all bad news for municipalities in Atlantic Canada. CFIB highlighted the measures undertaken by some municipalities to become more conducive to small business growth, and the City of Fredericton became the first ever recipient of the inaugural CFIB Atlantic Improvement Award.
Fredericton was one of only two municipalities to lower the commercial tax rate since last year, and specifically mentioned their goal of reducing taxes for local businesses in their budget. They also updated their directory and business portal, significantly improving communication with business owners. Halifax, Moncton, and Charlottetown also made it easier to apply for and track licenses and permits online, while CBRM lowered their commercial tax rate.
“There’s a lot more work to be done, but it’s promising to see municipalities starting to respond to their small business needs,” said Robertson. “We’ll continue advocating for Atlantic businesses, and we hope municipalities will listen and develop the policies that will allow their local communities to succeed.”
Duncan Robertson, CFIB
902-580-4538
Duncan.Robertson@cfib.ca
The data referenced in this news release was gathered through the Atlantic Municipal Issues online, controlled-access survey – Final Results, Active dates: June 20-July 11, 2024. Results based on responses from 238 CFIB members who are owners of Atlantic Canadian independent businesses from all sectors. For comparison purposes, a probability samples with the same number of respondents would have a margin of error of +/- 6.35%, 19 times out of 20.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 97,000 members across every industry and region, including 10,200 in Atlantic Canada. 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.