The Province is delaying new tax on Professional Services following opposition from the business community
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ABBOTSFORD, B.C. | September 21, 2026 – The Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce is welcoming the Province’s decision to pause the planned expansion of the Provincial Sales Tax (PST) to professional services, calling the announcement good news for businesses and an important advocacy win for the business community across B.C.
“This is good news for businesses in Abbotsford and across B.C.,” said Alex Mitchell, CEO of the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce. “We were clear from the beginning that this tax would raise the cost of doing business, make investment more expensive and weaken our competitiveness. We pushed for the Province to change course, and this is a meaningful advocacy win for our members and the broader business community.”
The expansion was scheduled to take effect October 1 and would have applied PST to professional services businesses rely on every day, including accounting and bookkeeping, architectural, engineering and geoscience services, non-residential real estate services, and security and private investigation services. The Province estimates it will save businesses, individuals and local governments approximately $260 million in 2026-27.
In April, the Abbotsford Chamber publicly called on the Province to abandon the PST expansion and formally wrote to the Minister of Finance urging the government to reconsider the measure.
For Abbotsford, the decision is particularly important. Local businesses are continuing to invest, expand and create jobs while navigating rising costs and significant uncertainty from the ongoing trade dispute. Abbotsford is one of the most tariff-exposed community in British Columbia and adding a new tax on essential business services would have created another cost at a time when many local employers are already under significant pressure.
The decision follows sustained advocacy from Chambers of Commerce, Boards of Trade and business organizations across the province. The Abbotsford Chamber recognizes the collective efforts of B.C.’s business community in raising concerns about the added costs and broader impact of the proposed PST expansion. The Province’s decision, however, is a pause, not a cancellation, and the Abbotsford Chamber will continue to push for the proposed expansion to be reconsidered altogether.
About the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce
The Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce represents the needs of Abbotsford’s businesses and empowers economic development across the Fraser Valley region. For over 110 years, the Abbotsford Chamber has been the voice of business, working on behalf of nearly 850 members, investing in the next generation of entrepreneurs and young professionals, breaking down barriers to business development and trade, advocating for investments and policies to help businesses succeed, and building community and connections.
The Abbotsford Chamber is nationally accredited to meet standards of business excellence and provide benefits to its member organizations.
