---
title: "Alex Lawson pledges to raise small business tax cut to 25 per cent"
description: "Mayoral candidate Alex Lawson announced a plan to raise the city's small business property tax discount from 15 per cent to 25 per cent, at a cost he puts at $8.4 million a year."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/on/ottawa-2026/news/lawson-small-business-taxes-2026-10-07"
last_updated: "2026-10-10T04:05:50.401Z"
---

Mayoral candidate Alex Lawson announced a small business plan on October 7, 2026, including a pledge to raise the city's property tax discount for small businesses from 15 per cent to 25 per cent, at a cost he puts at $8.4 million a year, CTV News reported.

The City of Ottawa introduced the small business property tax discount in 2022. CTV News reported that it provides a 15 per cent reduction phased in over two years. Lawson says it reached 15 per cent by 2023 and was then frozen. "Business pays almost a quarter of Ottawa's property tax. Over the last two years it brought in about four cents of every new tax dollar. When the base doesn't grow, the rate goes up on everyone," Lawson said in his platform, as reported by CTV News.

## What the plan includes

Lawson says he would raise the small business property tax discount from 15 per cent to 25 per cent with no phase-in, in his first budget. His campaign puts the cost at $8.4 million a year. This is a figure his campaign produced; voche.me has not independently checked it.

Lawson also says he would scrap patio fees entirely, including the first-time review fee and processing fee.

He says he would create a "Report Red Tape" portal online and as a 311 option, with a public tracker of the status and outcome of each report. He would also ask city staff to produce a quarterly report listing the top ten red tape complaints and what changed.

Lawson says every major city project would get a "business impact check" before it starts. Utilities and developers would have to pay for lane closures by the day rather than a flat fee. He says he would let businesses on a street under construction for more than three months defer property taxes and repay them interest-free, and that he would ask the province whether the city has the authority to do so.

## What other candidates have said

Incumbent mayor Mark Sutcliffe says that if re-elected he would maintain the current small business tax reduction and eliminate patio fees, CTV News reported. CTV also reported that Sutcliffe has already announced a dedicated small business and Business Improvement District support team.

Jeff Leiper has not made a specific small business tax pledge, but has said he would reverse the city's return-to-office mandate for city employees, arguing the policy could hurt suburban businesses, according to CTV News.

Voters can compare all 14 mayoral candidates on the [Ottawa 2026 candidates page](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates#mayor). Read more about [Alex Lawson](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/alex-lawson) on voche.me. Voting day is October 26.

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