Nottingham City is the first council in the UK to introduce a Workplace parking levy. The controversial scheme which received the go ahead at the back end of 2009 is still the subject of much debate with supporters and objectors equally matched.
The levy will be a fixed charge starting at £250 per annum per parking space for organisations that provide over 10 spaces. The organisations will be free to pass on this charge to their employees. The charge, which will be in force from 2012 have triggered outrage from some quarters andhas been condemned by some major motoring organisations. An AA spokesman described the workplace parking levy as a tax on jobs adding that it is very unfair discriminating against those employers who have parking spaces which gets vehicles off the street.
Some major employers in Nottingham have indicated that they intend to defy the tax. Boots, which has its international headquarters in Nottingham says that it will avoid the tax by moving the majority of its parking outside of the City boundary. This one act will be a severe blow to the councils revenue raising targets losing the council over £750,000 per year on their projected additional income.
What do you think about the levy Is it a good or bad thing? Have your say and leave a comment!