Businesses in B.C are losing confidence about the future of their operations due to rising energy prices and increased taxes.<\/p>\n
B.C.\u2019s long-term small business confidence index went down by 3.9 points in March to 57.3 points, according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business\u2019 monthly business barometer. Its historical average is 61.4 points.<\/p>\n
CFIB has been tracking small business confidence for over 25 years, measuring how small business owners feel about the next three to 12 months of their operations, explained Ryan Mitton, CFIB\u2019s director of legislative affairs for B.C.<\/p>\n
\u201c[It measures] whether they\u2019re confident their business will improve, or whether it will get worse,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd so an index of 50 means that 50 per cent are feeling less confident than more confident.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCurrently, what we\u2019ve seen is that business confidence has taken a fall, a stumble,\u201d Mitton said.<\/p>\n
In March 2025, B.C. business confidence was at an all-time low at 29.1 points due to uncertainty around tariffs, but it had started to recover in the past few months.<\/p>\n
Mitton blames the drop on B.C.\u2019s recent PST expansion<\/a>, which, starting on Oct. 1, 2026, will include professional services like accounting and bookkeeping. CFIB recently started a petition<\/a> calling on the province to halt the expansion.<\/p>\n