Craig Hoy, a Conservative MSP for South Scotland, has accused the SNP of hammering hard-working individuals and businesses in the Midlothian by introducing a workplace parking tax.
Mr Hoy’s call comes after his 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, with some fearing the charge could be £1000 per year.
Mr Hoy says he is firmly opposed to the workplace parking tax and repeated leader Douglas Ross’ assurance that no Scottish Conservative-led council in Midlothian would introduce it.
Mr Hoy said: “Any introduction of a workplace parking tax would be a hammer blow to hardworking people and businesses in Midlothian.
“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 Midlothian are already facing a cost-of-living crisis and businesses are still only just recovering from the pandemic.
“Councils such as Midlothian 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 Midlothian would ever impose this tax on employees.”
