Mr. Speaker, I would like to pose a question to the Minister of Government Services. I believe the acting Minister of Government Services is absent, but whoever is acting leader or is taking his responsibilities may attempt to answer my question.
Mr. Speaker, there has been some questioning with respect to the annual operating costs and the liquor tax revenue of the Liquor Licensing Board that the Department of Government Services has imposed. It is an increase of a five per cent fee to a 10 per cent fee, and this fee, as the Minister had stated, is not a tax fee, but rather a licence fee collecting from licences. When one of my colleagues had asked what the purpose of it was, he basically indicated that it was a licence fee collected from licences, with no specific purpose.
Mr. Speaker, the question I want to pose is that the fees imposed on licences now in the Territories total to the amount of $486,000 in generated revenue. However, the expenditures to ensure that these fees are operable come to a total amount of $458,000, so the government still receives more money than it costs to administrate. I would like to ask the Minister, what is the purpose of this licence fee imposed to retailers in the Territories?