Jonathan Rhys Kesselman
Friend of the Institute
March 18, 2024
The Broadbent Institute is heartbroken to learn of the passing of Broadbent Institute Policy Fellow, Professor Rhys Kesselman, on Sunday, February 25th, following a short illness. A major Canadian public thinker on taxation policy, Dr. Kesselman used his expertise to demonstrate how public finance can be used for social good.
With the Broadbent Institute, he authored reports that examined the shortcomings of and the case against Tax-Free Savings Accounts during their implementation by the Stephen Harper government, and most recently spoke to the Institute on why capital gains taxation needed to go further in the 2023 federal budget.
His notable work on basic income in Canada has added to the analysis and debate needed to push forward on improving the wellbeing for all. Canada has lost a rare giant in public policy, who advocated for change alongside critical scholarship on how to make a good and more just society.
Related Research Publications
June 10, 2015
Behind the Headlines: Who’s Really Benefiting from Higher TFSA Limits?
This study carefully examines the available data on TFSAs to gain deeper insights into the true distributional impacts of the 2015 hike to contribution limits. It assesses past patterns of TFSA participation and maximization — not only for persons holding TFSAs, but for the entire population eligible to have TFSAs.
February 2, 2015
Double Trouble: The Case Against Expanding Tax-Free Savings Accounts
This study finds that no case—on either economic or equity grounds— can be found for unconditional doubling of TFSA contribution limits. Over the long run, doubling TFSA limits would cost governments additional billions in annual tax revenues, put most of the lost taxes into the pockets of the already well-todo, and reduce the overall progressivity of federal and provincial tax systems.
