Thousands of homeowners excluded from N.B. property tax freeze face major 2026 tax increases

Thousands of homeowners excluded from the New Brunswick government's 2026 property tax freeze were given no information about changes in their home's "value for taxation" that were issued across the province last week.

The change in a property's assessed "value for taxation" is the only way for a homeowner to know what the full effect of being excluded from the freeze will have on their upcoming property tax bill.

Amanda Doucette was sent an assessment notice last week showing she will not qualify for the property tax freeze because she bought her house in Nackawic-Millville in the last year.

The notice showed the assessed value on her house in 2026 is increasing by $53,800 over 2025 but did not explain the assessed "value for taxation" on the house is increasing by a more severe $68,000.  

The reason for the difference is that under its previous owner, Doucette's house had about $14,000 in value sheltered from property tax in 2025. Doucette will find that amount added to the 2026 assessment increase when her property tax bill is issued in a few weeks.

For Doucette, it will all add up to a tax increase of about $700, which will be a financial setback for her when it hits.

"It gets difficult, especially in my situation, where I am a single income," Doucette said.

"We have services that we must pay for and I have no issue doing that. It's just getting very difficult for people who are trying their best to move forward in life."

Last spring, the New Brunswick government announced it would be introducing a near universal freeze on property assessments in 2026 while it works on reforming the province's entire property tax system.

"Our government has committed to overhauling the property tax system to ensure stability, fairness and affordability," Finance Minister René Legacy said in announcing the plan.

"And while that process is underway, we are committed to property tax relief measures."

But the freeze, and those relief measures, were not extended to anyone who bought or significantly renovated a property in the last year.   

According to the Canadian Real Estate Association there were 9,631 home sales in New Brunswick in 2025, and many of those properties will face large 2026 tax increases.  

In part, this is because the property tax freeze does not apply to those who bought their homes in the past year. As well, property tax reductions accumulated by the previous owner of a house automatically expire following a sale.