Don't pay tax? Don't vote, says Shopify CEO
· Toronto Sun
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Canadians who don’t pay income tax and pensioners shouldn’t have the right to vote, according to the CEO and co-founder of e-commerce company Shopify.
In a post on X, Tobias Lutke endorsed a plan that would strip millions of Canadians of the right to vote. A post by a retired banker suggested proportional voting based on the level of income tax paid.
“What about weighted voting proportional to the level of income tax you pay? (no income tax paid – 0 vote, $1-100k – 1 vote, $100-200k 2 votes and so on… cap it at 5 votes for $500k+. For those that constantly complain about the wealthy not paying tax/fair share they’d have nothing to worry about right? Why not reward representation of taxation and build a democracy around those that foot the bill?” wrote Eric Thor.
To which Lutke replied, “Good system,” adding in another post, “Reward productive people with leverage.”
Good system.
— tobi lutke (@tobi) July 26, 2026
No vote for pensioners
Lutke also argued that once someone’s pension is locked in, that person becomes a dependent, just like a minor, and as such should not have the right to vote.
“New deal: when you get your pension deal it’s locked in and guaranteed. But now you are a dependent and that means no voting, just like dependents under age. Enjoy the deal, let people with a stake in the future decide,” Lutke wrote.
Comments draw fire
The comments drew plenty of online reactions, from those who vehemently oppose the idea to those who support it.
“I paid for your future so, should have a say. i paid for your grandparents future, should I have a say. Ungrateful spoiled rotten I paid my due to vote over 40 years I worked to feed and fix for this country ungrateful,” posted one user .
“ Even better system is limiting voting to families or households with children,” posted another.
History of controversy
The Shopify CEO is something of an online provocateur, who has a history of sparking heated debate with his online comments and support for unfettered free speech, often angering the hard left. In 2017, Lutke came under fire from critics due to his website hosting the online store of U.S. media organization Breitbart. He faced pressure to dump the company from his site but held firm.
“We don’t like Breitbart, but products are speech and we are pro free speech,” Lütke wrote in a statement. “This means protecting the right of organizations to use our platform even if they are unpopular or if we disagree with their premise, as long as they are within the law. That being said, if Breitbart calls us tomorrow and tells us that they are going to switch to another platform, we would be delighted.”
Lutke has also said that Canada suffers from a “stunning” level of animosity towards U.S. President Donald Trump, which hinders its economic development.
“Canada is a small economy attached to a hegemon,” he said. “There’s been one winning strategy in Canada, which is ‘win by helping America win,’ And (Prime Minister Mark) Carney is saying that it’s over.”