Shane Thompson

I thank the Minister. I understand we can go around and around in circles. What I am trying to do is come up with a plan that we can move forward for the residents of Fort Liard. The problem is that somebody made a promise to them and now, no fault of their own, they made a decision that they were not going to pay their taxes, so what we are trying to do is come up with a plan to do it. Previously, the Minister talked about the Property Assessment and Taxation Act, and, if I understand him correctly, outstanding interest charges on property taxes are considered part of the taxation outstanding...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was talking earlier today in my Member's statement about taxation, and I asked the Minister some questions. I would like to follow up with more questions to the Minister of Finance: can the Minister advise, of that $9.6 million, how much is owed in taxes by the residents of the hamlet of Fort Liard and have a breakdown of principle and interest? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the Minister for that answer. In my Member's statement, you heard me say that the interest rate is coming out at 15 per cent, and it seems to be very high. Was the community consulted or engaged in coming up with this rate?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you heard me talk about the taxation issue in Fort Liard, and I have questions for the Minister of Finance. My first question: as a department, how did they come up with the mill rate for the Community of Fort Liard? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On Monday, March 19, I had the opportunity to attend a public meeting in Fort Liard that was being put on by the Departments of Lands, Municipal and Community Affairs, and Finances. The topic was about land and taxes.

I would have to say, overall, it was a good meeting. The staff did a great job of getting the information out to the people who were present. However, it did raise a number of concerns about how land taxes were collected for the Hamlet of Fort Liard.

Unfortunately, a number of individuals were told not to pay their taxes. This has caused a big mess for those...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive rule 75(5) to have Bill 5, An Act to Amend the Summary Conviction Procedures Act, moved into Committee of the Whole for consideration later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Minister for that answer. I understand that, but, if we want to move forward, we have got to come up with a plan to work with these people. I mean, that is my challenge, is that I am sitting here right now; we are not having any direction to encourage these people to pay their taxes because we are in trouble with that, so what I am trying to do is come up with a solution. Would the Minister be willing to have his staff go into the community to work with the affected residents to come up with a plan to try to resolve this issue? Just not talking about the...

I thank the Minister for that answer. So, we are talking about possible solutions in there. When we are trying to move forward, would the government be willing to waive the interest fee if the residents come up with a plan to pay the principle of the taxation? I am not asking the taxation to be waived. I am asking if we can come up with a plan to pay for these taxes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Minister for that information. Yes, it was a $15,000 taxation, but, you know, you add $55,000 to it, it all becomes a $70,000 tax bill, and some of these people are inheriting these from people as their parents or families are passing away. I guess my understanding is that the Government of the Northwest Territories was a collection agency for these municipalities that are not tax-based, but all of a sudden, you know, they are collecting it, and 48 per cent of it is going to school and 52 per cent to the hamlets, which is great, or the municipality. My...

I thank the Minister for his answer. Can the Minister please explain to us: what is the percentage that the GNWT keeps from collecting the taxation for the community?