Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP Liz Smith has accused the SNP of hammering hard-working individuals and businesses across Mid Scotland and Fife by introducing a workplace parking tax.
Liz Smith’s call comes after her party led a debate and vote in the Scottish Parliament calling for it to be scrapped.
However, the SNP once again ploughed ahead with their plans to allow local authorities to hit businesses with a levy for each parking space they offer. Businesses, in turn, can choose to pass the charge on to employees.
Already SNP-led councils in Glasgow and Edinburgh have indicated they will introduce the tax.
Concerns from the Scottish Retail Consortium, the Scottish Chamber of Commerce and the International Council of Police Representative Associations were all ignored by the SNP and their Green coalition partners.
The nationalist coalition have also not set a limit on how much councils can charge.
Liz Smith MSP is firmly opposed to the workplace parking tax and repeated leader Douglas Ross’ assurance that no Scottish Conservative-led council in Perth and Kinross would introduce it.
Commenting, Liz Smith MSP said,
“Any introduction of a workplace parking tax would be a hammer blow to hardworking people and businesses in Perth and Kinross.
“This atrocious tax is not only hated but it is also unbelievably ill-timed. The SNP-Green coalition does not seem to care that families in Perth and Kinross are already facing a cost-of-living crisis and businesses are still only just recovering from the pandemic.
“There still remain many significant issues with the tax which the Scottish Government has failed to address. It impacts most on low paid workers and apprentices, it will apply even when there is no public transport available, including workers on nightshift, and there are obviously situations whereby people live in one local authority but commute to another and should they face a levy in the latter they would have no say in the elections of the authority imposing the charges.
“I am proud to say no Scottish Conservative-led council in Perth and Kinross would ever impose this tax on employees.”
