Saipan casino operator Imperial Pacific International Holdings (IPI) is trying hard to convince the local government that it already pays enough taxes, thank you very much.

On Tuesday, IPI got one step closer to launching gaming operations at its in-development permanent gaming venue, the Imperial Pacific Resort, via a conditional certificate of occupancy issued by the Department of Public Works.

The DPW certificate essentially states that it doesn’t believe any gamblers will be harmed by falling masonry or the like, which wasn’t necessarily a given after all the bad press stemming from the work site’s dodgy safety record. The only remaining hurdle that IPI has to clear is to ask for and receive official clearance from the Commonwealth Casino Commission (CCC).

In the meantime, IPI has launched a pre-emptive strike against any move to impose new gaming revenue taxes on its operations. The original 40-year exclusive casino deal that IPI struck with Saipan in 2014 called for the company to pay a $15m annual license fee but legislators are considering a new bill that would impose a 5% tax on IPI’s gaming revenue.