Thank you, Mr. Chairman. A couple of general comments. First of all on the issue of the hotel tax. Taxation, in general, is something that I think the government should always have at its disposal. It is one of the tools to help keep a stable financial regime going. One of the things that I campaigned on was, however, that I would be very leery to see a tax which comes in that increases the cost of living for Northerners and this is where I am sort of conceptually in favour of a hotel tax, things like a payroll tax, because it does generate money from outside sources in, I think, a potentially viable way. I am not at this time, though, prepared to come out in favour categorically of the hotel tax. I have stated before that I would like to see first, and overall, a tourism strategy because the Minister has stated it would be the objective to direct funds directly into the tourism industry from this tax. I would like to see the details of that strategy and how this tax could fit in as one of the potential revenue generators for it.

In that light, I am looking forward, Mr. Chairman, to the consultation that the Minister is going to have and that is already underway with the tourism industry on the overall strategy. To see how this tax could fit in.

A comment there, Mr. Chairman, but I did want to ask a question in terms of methodology. The models that the department is proposing here in this paper, and I appreciate very much getting this based on percentage, I was wondering whether the department looked at a flat rate per room as another method of collecting this kind of tax? I will stop there and see if the department can respond, Thank you, Mr. Chairman.