Thank you, Mr. Steen. Mr. Steen, the committee members were glad to see that the Minister had put on hold any plans to amalgamate the Department of Finance and the Financial Management Board Secretariat. Should this option be raised again in the future, the committee looks forward to discussing it again with the Minister. On the payroll tax, the standing committee and the Minister of Finance discussed issues related to the payroll tax in great detail. During the review of the business plans, committee members discussed the possibility of eliminating the tax and the associated costs of living tax credit due to the relatively small return compared to the administration costs of the tax. However, the potential increase of fly-in and fly-out workers which would occur with increased mining activities in the Northwest Territories is a development which merits further analysis. The standing committee understands that the Minister and the department are reviewing various revenue-generating options and look forward to discussing any possible initiatives that might arise from that review.

Discussion also took place on the continued non-payment of the tax by the Dene Nation. Committee members will continue to monitor these with the Minister. Borrowing costs. With the revelation that the deficit for 1995/96 is lower than was forecast, the Department of Finance will show a significant reduction in borrowing costs from previous estimates. Revenue forecasts for 1996/97 are up both from taxation and from the grant from Canada. This will help off-set any expenditure slippage. So is the report on the Department of Finance for the Standing Committee on Infrastructure. Mr. Chairman.