Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, one of my colleagues in the House noted that the Canadian Federation of Independent Business people had written to the Premier suggesting that we reconsider this issue of the hotel tax because in every jurisdiction where there is a hotel tax, it is being or the businesses are requesting, that it be removed because it is a sales tax that is targeted at one area of the business community and it is not felt to be fair.
I think that is also something that needs to be considered here. If we are going to embark on a sales tax, we have to be prepared to justify that sales tax. Personally, I do not think we can ever justify a sales tax, but if we are going to institute a sales tax, I am really having a hard time justifying it being on one narrow segment. I do not see how we can do it. If we are not going to tax fishing licenses for tourists or if we are not going to tax or raise monies from taxing the airplanes they come in on, then I do not see how we can pick one small area. It certainly should not say that we would not include tour operators or other people. You cannot just pick on one part of the industry and say they should bear the entire cost of increasing the advertising for the whole industry.
If I can move onto another issue briefly that was covered by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business people. They noted that our gas tax in the Northwest Territories is higher than that in Nunavut and the Yukon. I appreciate that the Minister has committed that gasoline taxes are being maintained on a per litre basis and not on an ad valorum rate, but I would like to ask the Minister, since he had committed to coming forward with a proposal to change that in legislation or in regulation so it would no longer be an ad valorem tax, but a per litre tax, will he come forward and deal as the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses has recommended, to reduce the rate to match that charged in the Yukon and Nunavut? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.