Starting today (March 4), the Workplace Parking Levy (WPL) will come into effect in Scotland, meaning councils will be able to decide whether to impose a yearly tax on car parking spaces that are provided by employers.
Both the Scottish Government and environmental campaigners state that move will lower congestion and air pollution by encouraging drivers to walk, cycle or use public transport.
In councils that do implement the levy, employers who offer staff on-site parking spaces will need to submit an application for a licence.
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As reported by the Daily Express, the price of this licence will be dependent on the number of spaces available in the car park.
From this point, employers could then choose to pay the WPL themselves or pass on some, or all, of the charge to those employees who use the car park.
Certain workplaces, such as NHS facilities, GP offices, hospices, and disabled parking zones, are exempt from the new rule.
At the moment, Nottingham is the only city in the UK to have implemented a WPL — charging £415 each year for a parking space.
According to research, it was estimated that workers driving to and from their place of employment made up around 70% of peak-time traffic in the city.
Since being introduced in 2012, the initiative has raised approximately £64 million — with the money being used to fund sustainable transport projects.
The fee could be even higher in some cities, with Leicester City Council proposing a cost of £550 per space each year for employers with more than 10 parking spaces.
However, many drivers are furious with the charges, including Meghan Gallacher MSP, Holyrood representative for Central Scotland.
She said the Scottish Conservatives were firmly opposed to the workplace parking tax and repeated leader Douglas Ross’ assurance that no Scottish Conservative-led council in Lanarkshire would introduce it.
She added: “Any introduction of a workplace parking tax would be a hammer blow to hard working people and businesses in Lanarkshire.
“This atrocious tax is not only hated but it is also unbelievably ill-timed.
"The SNP-Green coalition don’t seem to care that families in Lanarkshire are already facing a cost-of-living crisis and businesses are still only just recovering from the pandemic.
“Councils such as North and South Lanarkshire have free rein to charge motorists what they like to park at work due to the SNP’s dismal failure to impose a limit on charges.
“I am proud to say no Scottish Conservative-led council in Lanarkshire would ever impose this tax on employees,” she told Lanarkshire Live.
Following a debate in Parliament, the Scottish National Party pushed ahead with plans to allow authorities to hit businesses with a levy for each parking space they offer.
No limit has been set on how much councils can charge.
Glasgow and Edinburgh are already examining whether to introduce the levy - with Glasgow estimating that it could raise up to £30million a year if it is introduced across the whole city, or up to £6million if it is confined to the city centre.
