Details have now emerged about the SNP’s Car Park Tax and it is bad news for Borderers who commute to Edinburgh.
The amendment to the Transport Bill which will implement the tax has now been published and while it includes an exemption for NHS staff, teachers, police officers and private sector workers will not automatically be exempt from the £400 annual fee to part at work.
Although Scottish Borders Council have ruled out implementing the charge for employers here, both SNP run Edinburgh and Glasgow Councils have indicated their support for the measure.
According to official census data, more than 3,300 Borderers commute to Edinburgh on a daily basis. Many of these are given a parking space by their employers and would be faced with an annual charge of as much as £415.
Local MP John Lamont has called on the Scottish Government to scrap the unfair charge, which could hit hard working Borderers in the pocket.
Commenting, John Lamont MP said: “It was the right move by Scottish Borders Council to rule out this unfair charge, but if Edinburgh Council adopts this measure, it will still affect thousands of Borderers who commute by car to the city.
“This Car Park Tax will hit people who have no other option but to drive, targeting even those on the lowest pay who are just trying to get to work.
“Now it has been revealed that teachers and teaching assistants won’t be exempt, meaning they will be charged the same as those working in the city on mega salaries.
“What might work in a city, where people have the option to take public transport to work, many people in parts of the Borders have to drive to work. Once again, the SNP are showing themselves unable to understand life outside the central belt.
“This is a policy which is unfair and should be scrapped immediately.”
