Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the present government has done a relatively good job of providing a balanced budget. We are probably the only jurisdiction in Canada without an accumulated deficit. I think it is important that we maintain that situation. I recognize the need to increase taxes in order to ensure that we can stay that way. I think it is important to point out that in spite of decreasing support from the federal government in terms of transfer payments, in this jurisdiction we have managed pretty well to maintain our services. We have not had huge staff lay-offs that other jurisdictions have had. Services have been maintained relatively well. Mr. Chairman, it takes money to do this. As well, the performance of the formula financing agreement is going to be affected by decreasing transfer payments because of the provinces across Canada who have now increased their tax rates because the difference between our rates and their rates increases, the amount of money that we receive from the federal government decreases. Mr. Chairman, that has put us in between a rock and hard place.
When the Minister of Finance announced this tax measure I told him right away that I thought it was the wrong way to go. It is too complicated. It is too much work for the revenue. As a matter of fact, Mr. Chairman, I suggested to him that a further increase of one per cent in the personal tax rate would probably be more acceptable. The government has chosen not to do that, they have chosen to support, instead, the goal and principle of trying to obtain some taxes from fly-in fly-out workers. I am sympathetic to that goal. I have to say that I would prefer in many ways to see the tax system unchanged. However, Mr. Chairman, because it is important to increase taxes and I recognize the need to do that, and because this tax measure is the one that is before us right now, I am going to support this payroll tax measure. I want to be very clear to the government that they had better not count on my support for increases in the rate of tax. I think that it will be interesting to see how this one works out and whether or not we do, in fact, net the amount of money that the government says we will. In future, I would prefer to see increases in the other taxes if we have to have them rather than an increase in the payroll tax. Mr. Chairman, those are the reasons for which I will be supporting this measure at this time.