Robert L. (Bob) Ascah studied commerce and public administration at Carleton University and political science at the University of Alberta. He joined Alberta Federal and Intergovernmental Affairs in 1984 moving to Alberta Treasury in 1986. From 1996-2009 Ascah worked at ATB Financial. In 1999, Ascah’s Politics and Public Debt was published. From 2009-2013 he was Director of the Institute for Public Economics. He is the editor and contributor to the A Sales Tax for Alberta: Why and How. His articles have appeared in Alberta Views, The Conversation, Calgary Herald, Canadian Accountant, and The Globe and Mail. His blog is Abpolecon.ca.