Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston is urging councils in his region to rule-out introducing a car park tax.
Mr Halcro Johnston, who is Shadow Business Minister, made his plea after the SNP-Green coalition pushed ahead with plans for a new tax on those who drive to work, despite Scottish Conservative attempts to defeat it at Holyrood.
The Scottish Conservative MSP said: “When there is a global cost of living crisis, and more and more working families are facing pressures on their household finances, the last thing we need is another tax on working people.
“Many people in my Highlands and Islands region – where public transport alternatives are often limited, and sometimes non-existent - have little option but to use their car to get to work. How is it then fair to hit them with a new tax when they’ve no other option but to drive?
“Local council finances have been repeatedly squeezed by the SNP government – and now this SNP-Green coalition - and so it’s understandable that some councils may feel tempted to opt for this tax. But I would urge them to resist.
“This tax, which is driven by the anti-car ideology of the Greens and the indifference of the SNP, is an attempt by ministers in Edinburgh to shift the blame for their cuts onto local authorities. Basically, they’re hoping councils will plug the gaps in their funding from Edinburgh and take the blame in doing so.
“It has been pushed through by Scottish Government ministers who simply don’t care about increasing the tax burden on workers and businesses, and who have no appreciation of the impact this could have on people across the Highlands and Islands already struggling to make ends meet.”
