3.19 The Foreign Worker Levy was reduced in 1999 to help tide companies over the 1998 economic downturn sparked off by the Asian Financial Crisis. This concession was extended in 2001 to July this year because of the current economic recession. Given the uncertainty over economic recovery, the Government has decided to extend the concession for a further six months until December 2002. We will review the matter again towards the end of the year.