Floyd Roland

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, again, the Department of Finance’s main function is to try and ensure that we have enough revenues for the government to operate. Within the FMBS, that is where a lot of the spending decisions, the policy of government becomes formulated and also that of Cabinet. Our main goal within the Department of Finance is to try to ensure that we have as much revenue as possible to run the programs and services we have at the same time as the Department of Finance would try to see some of our other critical areas, as I have highlighted, on the insurance area and so on...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the initial plan is one of the federal government's. They have a structured repayment plan that every jurisdiction would operate under in the area of taxes collected on behalf of jurisdictions. This one’s specifically the repayment plan from the Canadian Revenue Agency. It is a three-year repayment plan base that uses population figures. The first two years, because of our population the amount is very low, but the third year is full payment. We have yet to finalize that with federal Finance. We’re aware again of the conditions that do apply. That’s why...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The number of comments Ms. Lee has made with regard to the budget exercise as we go through; one, is from within the Department of Finance. We like to accept the opportunity for any kind words that Members share with us, but the changes the Member has spoken to about other expenses being now included in the budget document were part of the FMBS process. I think it’s again listening to what Members want and trying to accommodate what we can through this process.

The Member is also right about the quality of life issues that residents face and this budget process, but I...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the work is very dependant on the federal government and when they make final appointments to the panel. We are expecting that that would happen in the very near future. Once that is done, we expect to receive a copy of the terms of reference that would apply to that. There is a draft terms of reference right now, but we are also aware that they are beginning to work on setting up a schedule of where they would go and appear, but it is still early and we are waiting for, I believe, final appointments to that panel. Thank you.

Yes, Mr. Chairman, I would.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, that drop is related to the implementation of our cost of living tax credit. So that’s why you see a significant change there. It’s the increase that we have put in place through our first budget process and gets implemented now. As that implementation occurs, we see the drop in our personal income tax. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, we do have programs and staff who track, as Ms. Melhorn stated, new businesses as well as older businesses in a number of ways. Without knowing the specifics of what the Member is raising, it is difficult to respond in a very specific fashion. There are times when an older company in the Northwest Territories changes ownership or registers a different portion of a company and receives a new GSN number, as we call it; a government services number, I believe is the term. That could get some calls happening. Again, initially to inform people that they...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, that Bill 21, An Act to Amend the Public Service Act, be read for the second time.

Mr. Speaker, this bill amends the Public Service Act to provide for an appointment of staffing review officers who will hear appeals of appointments made by competition, and to authorize the enactment of regulations governing such appeals. Provisions pertaining to the present Staffing Appeals Committee are repealed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In the area of the corporate income tax, the changes that we see from the main estimates to the revised main estimates are mainly due to the way the federal government had done its estimations. It has changed the way it has done its estimations on a national basis for the corporate income tax. As a result of that, it has improved our position substantially. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I guess a bit of history is our goal to try to make sure this gets done and get a legislative proposal back to Cabinet for April 2006. As laid out in the information we supplied, we hope to have this next review phase completed by 2005 for further review. Some of the things we are aware of and know that there’s significant work for impacts to people in the Northwest Territories around this area and the terms of reference as we’re going forward doesn’t necessarily just deal with the issue of finances or dollars and cents, in a sense, of what we do. But...