A new study released Thursday by the C.D. Howe Institute says that Ottawa has a little-noticed asset: the future stream of personal tax revenues that will be generated from withdrawls from Registered Retirement Savings Plans and Registered Pension Plans.

The study, Registered Savings Plan holdings as a government asset, by McMaster University economists Jenna Robbins and Michael Veal says that the pool of retirement savings is worth about $300 billion to Ottawa and the provinces because they will eventually tax the savings as they are withdrawn from registered plans.

The report says the asset is little noticed, buty should be taken into account by analysts worried about governments’ ability to pay rising health care costs.