Canada’s tax “holiday” is set to end on Friday, but new numbers show a majority of small businesses in the country saw little change in sales.
The data comes from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), which surveyed 2,345 members between Jan. 9 and 31.
“By all accounts the government’s GST holiday was a flop for small businesses,” said Dan Kelly, CFIB president, in a statement.
According to the survey, just five per cent of small businesses said they saw stronger sales compared to the same period in 2024.
When it came to which sectors benefitted, of the five per cent who saw a boost, just four per cent of that number were retail stores while 15 per cent of hospitality businesses saw a sales increase.
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Last week, Moneris released its own data which found no year-over-year increase in spending by Canadians between Dec. 14, when the “holiday” began, and Jan. 15.
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