The Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce is urging City Council to consider the impact of yearly property tax increases ahead of budget deliberations.

Saskatoon Chamber CEO Jason Aebig says that the year-over-year increases are unsustainable for businesses in the community.

“We risk becoming less and less affordable for people to live here, or for job creators to do business here. If we continue on this path, there are some real risks to our community and our economy going forward.”

Aebig adds that the increase could have a particularly devasting effect on smaller businesses in the city.

“There is a tipping point, and it can be, for some of our smallest businesses, it can be a 3,4,5 per cent tax increase that they are unable to absorb into their operations or pass on to their customers.”

He says that limiting the property tax increases will allow businesses to grow and invest in the community.

“When they invest and hire and expand, they attract new residents, they get more of us working and they generate those new dollars that we need to fund our city’s needs and priorities, from policing to parks. And so, we’re urging council to keep that in mind and keep it at the forefront.”

As a way to remind council of the businesses who help drive growth in the city, the Chamber sent “budget survival kits”, consisting of products made by Chamber members, to councillors.

City council budget deliberations will begin Tuesday.