Rachael Hamilton MSP has expressed her anger at the SNP’s decision to push through the unpopular workplace car-parking levy.
Plans to give local councils the power to charge a levy on workplace parking were passed by the SNP and the Greens today in Holyrood as part of the Transport (Scotland) Bill.
The SNP agreed to back the workplace parking levy proposals as part of a budget deal with the Greens.
Scottish Conservative MSPs lodged amendments to exempt people from all over Scotland from the charge, including the police, fire services and carers.
Scottish Conservatives councillors in the Scottish Borders Council have been clear about their opposition to the SNP’s plans to introduce a ‘workplace parking levy’, where employers will be charged an annual tax based on how many parking spaces they provide for their employees.
It is likely to be based on the Nottingham model, where the council introduced a workplace-parking levy that means employers offering more than 10 spaces are charged £415 a year for every space.
Despite the workplace parking levy not being introduced in the Borders, Ms Hamilton has pointed out it can affect those who commute by car to Edinburgh, as the SNP-led council in the city have considered an introduction of the tax. It is estimated that 3,300 people commute daily to the capital from the Borders.
Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire said:
“This move by the SNP punishes hardworking commuters to Edinburgh and is completely nonsensical.
“The SNP have teamed up with the Green Party to tax people to park at work, which is simply ludicrous and poorly-thought through given it could affect commuters from outside the city.
“The SNP constantly shirk their responsibility to properly fund councils, and instead make them tax their citizens more in order to make up for the shortfall.
“Yet again we see the out-of-touch SNP Government with their anti-business agenda implementing dodgy policies”.