MSPs will today start voting on plans for a new Scottish parking tax amid splits within the SNP and united opposition from Labour, the Tories and LibDems.
Holyrood’s Connectivity Committee will consider amendments to the government’s Transport Bill which would establish a Workplace Parking Levy (WPL)
More than 60 of the 380 amendments to the Bill relate to the anti-congestion measure, which is the result of an SNP-Green deal to pass the 2019/20 budget.
READ MORE: Theresa May attacks SNP over workplace parking tax
In Nottingham, the only UK council with a WPL, employers with more than 10 bays are billed £415 a year for each, but most pass on the cost to staff, which adds another £83 in VAT.
Under the Scottish WPL, the NHS and GP surgeries would be automatically exempt, with local authorities free to add other exemptions.
However there have been calls for the police and teachers to be exempt too.
Social workers have also warned it could deprive vulnerable children of a ‘safe space’ to discuss problems if they leave their cars at home and take public transport to work.
SNP MSP Richard Lyle last month condemned the WPL as an “unfair tax” on motorists, and likened it to a 10p hike in income tax for drivers.
If MSPs on the committee reject the idea at the Stage 2 session, the government can still try to revive it when the Bill reaches its third and final stage later in the parliament, however the numbers are finely balanced.
READ MORE: MSPs accused of 'duplicity' over workplace parking levy
Green MSP John Finnie, who is promoting the amendments with the government’s blessing, cited the support of the council umbrella group Cosla, which said his plans would give councils the “flexibility to work within a robust national framework”.
He said attempts by Tory and Labour MSPs to amend his proposal were “incompetent”.
He said: “Scotland is faced with a public health crisis, we have 38 air pollution hot spots throughout the country with thousands of deaths attributed to poor air quality annually.
“We are also faced with a climate emergency, and we know that transport is one of the biggest contributors, with transport emissions rising year on year.
“My proposal would allow councils to take action if they felt it was necessary so that health and wellbeing of our communities is prioritised. It is entirely right that the details of any plans should be for a council to take, in consultation with the communities they represent. We know that where such a levy has been introduced there has been substantial social and environmental benefits.
“Labour and Tory MSPs plan to bring forward changes to my proposal which would make it unworkable. It’s clear from their amendments that the incompetent MSPs in question don’t have a clue what they’re doing.”
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