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It seems that every time Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne opens her mouth, she proves that when it comes to economics, she simply doesn’t get it. Never will. Some people are like that; fortunately for Canada, few ever become premiers.

The latest example was on this week’s edition of The House on CBC Radio. She complained that the federal government insisted on calling compulsory Ontario Retirement Pension Plan contributions a “tax” when she said it was just benignly helping people to save.

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This misses the fundamental point of what a tax is. Google the definition of taxes, and what comes up first is “a compulsory contribution to state revenue.” Investopedia defines taxes as “an involuntary fee.” The key concept in defining a tax is its compulsion, not its use. It doesn’t matter if you spend taxes on closing gas-fired power plants or health and education or fighting Nazi Germany, the only relevant point is that the taxpayer has no choice but to pay. For determining if the ORPP is a tax, all that counts is that participation is obligatory.