Swift Current city council won't be increasing their wages for 2019 amid an upcoming change to federal taxes.

Starting in 2019, the federal government will be taking away the tax exemption on one-third of city council's salaries.

Regina and Saskatoon have both voted in favour of raising their mayor and councillors pay so that their take home will be the same, but that's not happening here.

"The reasoning for it is simple, when the federal government or provincial government makes tax changes, if you're a business you don't get the opportunity to just raise wages to offset that," Swift Current Mayor Denis Perrault said. "If there is any form of change in taxation all people, whether you're an employee or an employer, have to take that in and change accordingly. We as a council and mayor are no different."

Now all earning made by mayors or councillors will be 100 per cent taxed, something that will take a bite out of Swift Current city councils take home.

"I know for myself as mayor I'll be taking home about 15 per cent less in 2019 than I did in 2018," he said Thursday afternoon. "We as a council felt it was unfair to pass that tax change onto our ratepayers."

Mayor Perrault doesn't expect council to look at wage raised due to the tax exemption being stripped in the future either.