Regina chamber CEO says potential tax hike could be ‘crippling’ for businesses

Regina’s business community is hoping city council can find ways to reduce the potential property tax hike for 2026.

Last week, the administration laid out a $51 million shortfall that would equate to a property tax hike of 33.69 per cent.

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For the owner of an average home, that would equate to an increase of approximately $33 a month.

In an interview, Mike Tate, CEO of the Regina and District Chamber of Commerce, expressed concern about such an increase, which he says could be “crippling” for many members.

“In discussions with our membership, a 15 per cent increase is… just a really significant increase in times of tariffs, increased costs of living, inflation, economic uncertainty,” Tate said,

“And that could… deliver a significant negative impact toward businesses of all industries and sizes.”

When council meets the week of Dec. 15 to deliberate on a budget, it will have several options to reduce the potential tax increase, though acting city manager Jim Nicol said they would have some stark choices.

Tate wonders if there are alternatives for some services to reduce their cost.

“Are we taking a look at all of our expenses?” he asked.

“Are we actually looking at things like solid waste and landfill collection, at a $40 million expense? One question that comes to mind is, can that waste be converted to valuable materials? Are we looking at those types of potential technologies and solutions?

“History is littered with industries that seemed to be permanent until they weren’t. And they share some common characteristics such as massive capital infrastructure and regulatory frameworks.”

While Tate wouldn’t speak to the kind of cuts that could be made, he said chamber members are already highly taxed, and no one wants an increase paired with service cuts.

The chamber plans to make a submission to council ahead of deliberations.

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