MONICA TOWNSON is an independent economic consultant working in the field of social policy. She has been a consultant to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, served on the Pension Commission of Ontario for eleven years and was a member of the Canada Pension Plan Advisory Board. She chaired the Ontario Fair Tax Commission which reported in 1993 after a three-year review of the tax system. She is the author of many books and studies and a frequent guest on television and radio.