Car parking at work - new local tax

[maviczap]

So what do you think?

£250 per car parking space for any car park with over 11 spaces.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/7959170/Motorists-face-250-a-year-tax-to-park-at-work.html

[Viney]

Does that include specific motorcycle parking spaces? If so, our company are buggered. We have 45 motorcycle parking spaces and 10 car parking spaces, and 250 cycle 'parking' spaces

[FG1]

If a company were to paint over/remove the parking bay lines so there were no distinguishing markings to signify a parking bay would they still be liable for the charge ?

[timwilky]

So my Knutsford site has space for about 1,000 cars. The site I am at today in Preston has space for about 800 cars. the thing is there is only about 50% occupation. I guess this is simply councils saying we are taxing you (business) by the number of staff you might employ and dressing it up as "Green".

If they go ahead with this, then they should be forced into the green credential and the money raised ring fenced for the provision of public transport to that site.

Do they not also realise that a large employment base in an an area also generates its own local economy in terms of food and other service. Look in the centre of Trafford park. there were barbers that opened at 6am, betting shops, dry cleaners, numerous snack/sandwich shops, small hardware shops, even a nursery that ran extended hours in the recognition that parents may work shifts and not 9-5.

[Milky Bar Kid]

So my Knutsford site has space for about 1,000 cars. The site I am at today in Preston has space for about 800 cars. the thing is there is only about 50% occupation. I guess this is simply councils saying we are taxing you (business) by the number of staff you might employ and dressing it up as "Green".

If they go ahead with this, then they should be forced into the green credential and the money raised ring fenced for the provision of public transport to that site.

+1

100% agree with your last statement there. If they are saying it's "green" then they should be using the money for something "green" and since public transport is shocking, they could be spending the dosh on that.

They won't. But they should.

[timwilky]

so our car parks

At Preston
http://www.twsoft.co.uk/sv/cp1.png
and at Knutsford
http://www.twsoft.co.uk/sv/cp2.png

can you imagine the sort of unfair revenue councils would want to stick companies with a bill for.

The issue is also whilst there may be a reasonable size car park. in the current cliamte sites built for 1000's now employ 100's

[Bri w]

So how does a company, who've already structured their budgets, pay for this?

£5 per week charge to the employee?
Dig up/fence off part of the car park?
Increase the price of the product it sells?
Reduce the number off staff?
Will Council offices be liable for the same charges?

It may be labelled as a Company Tax but can any Company afford to take the hit in the current economic climate?

This is another indirect tax on the individual, and the Council balancing their books after being told they can't raise council tax by silly%.

[thefallenangel]

Crazy tax and difficult to enforce. My company has a big waste land which 25 vehicles park on most mornings how is that going to be enforced. It aint parking spaces so who knows. And if this doesn't apply to councils i will be annoyed.

[maviczap]

Yep, some of you have thought the same as I do. How is it going to be enforced, and who will pay?

You can't charge staff who don't use the car park, so how is it going to be paid for

I'm only in my office every other week, so why should I pay £250 for a whole year.

I'll drop the wife off & she can do the same for me or we'll get mopeds as there's no mention of taxing motorcycle spaces

[Bri w]

What about supermarkets, or the likes of Blue Water/Trafford Centre/Metro Centre?

And if, as Tim alludes to, the business no longer has the 1000 staff but still has a 1000 spaces, do the remaining 250 staff pay £1000 or does a failing(?) business pick up an even bigger bill?

Wouldn't surprise me to see it happen. And for those that don't think the employer will pass on the costs, just about every hospital in England is charging their staff for parking.

[Luckypants]

Experts on local government believe that authorities may have little alternative but to turn to drivers as a source of income. “Councils are going to look at that kind of a thing as an option,” said Caroline Green, a policy consultant with the Local Government Association. “Traditional forms of money raising will not be sufficient.”

They could try spending less of our bloody money! Instead of looking for ways to bleed more from the hard pressed worker.

Denbighshire CC revamped their offices about 2 years ago and built a massive new car park for staff, they are going to look very silly if they try charging businesses for parking spaces with that behind their plush new offices...

The fact that York City Council are looking at this proposal does not surprise me, in my dealings with them in the past they are vehemently anti-car.

[maviczap]

Don't forget Vat will be going up in December, so all your consumables will be going up as well. :(

[Jabba]

Don't forget Vat will be going up in December, so all your consumables will be going up as well. :(

You are a little ray of sunshine this morning :lol:

Don't blame the LAs entirely. They are acting on a missive from Central Government on this one. This is why all English and Welsh LAs will be implementing it in one form or another.

And yes, LAs will be paying too. Costs will be passed onto the staff rather than onto Council Tax (certainly the case in Cardiff where I work).

[maviczap]

You are a little ray of sunshine this morning :lol:

Don't blame the LAs entirely. They are acting on a missive from Central Government on this one. This is why all English and Welsh LAs will be implementing it in one form or another.

And yes, LAs will be paying too. Costs will be passed onto the staff rather than onto Council Tax (certainly the case in Cardiff where I work).

Yes I am aren't I :D

Don't forget if you don't want to incurr this charge, then you can always travel by train.

Oh, wait a minute, season ticket rail fares are also due to go up by more than the inflation rate, plus they'll also cop for the higher rate of Vat as well, once its introduced.

Get a horse or work from home :)

[Jabba]

Get a horse or work from home :)

The poo will mean a fine show of roses next year, though :thumbsup:

Go by bike.

[timwilky]

The daft thing about this, is my picture above of the work Preston carpark is 200 yards from one of the Preston park and ride car parks. So I would decline parking, park 200 yards up the road and walk into work. For me simples and cheap. but wait am I going to get hit for use of the Knutsford car park and the Rugby one and the Ashby one etc.

Each site would have to charge me for the days I was on their site. They will have to pay someone to patrol the car parks, link registrations to people and issue daily bills.

[embee]

This has been rumbling on for several years now. I'd love to know what the small print says, how are parking spaces defined etc. I bet it'll be a lawyers dream to take on a council over what the definition of a parking space is. If all the businesses contest it the Councils will have to back down because they certainly don't have spare cash to undertake expensive legal test cases. The businesses need to get together and stand up to them, power in numbers.

[gettin2dizzy]

Yet *another* bill to pay before getting out of bed. Rather than Labour introducing millions of stealth taxes, we're just being shafted 'for the greater good'.

The one that really ****s me off is the graduate tax they've proposed. No way would I sign up to life-tax like that. I've paid a fortune for my degree, and I'll be paying more income tax back as a result of that. Why work if you'll only be penalised?

[Bibio]

they have to get the revenue that they are loosing from the scameras somewhere.

[maviczap]

Yet *another* bill to pay before getting out of bed. Rather than Labour introducing millions of stealth taxes, we're just being shafted 'for the greater good'.

The one that really ****s me off is the graduate tax they've proposed. No way would I sign up to life-tax like that. I've paid a fortune for my degree, and I'll be paying more income tax back as a result of that. Why work if you'll only be penalised?

Might be better off staying at home and claiming benefits soon :confused:

[carty]

The way I read it it wouldn't be a tax levied on a business but on it's employees that work there. I.e., If you work for a company that provides free parking facilities then you will be taxed as if you earned an extra £250 per year- therefore making your 'free parking' a taxable benefit in kind a la healthcare / company car or whatever.

If this is the case, then that is a pretty reasonable rate for parking for a year, when you considr that people who drive to work where an employer doesn't provide free parking may pay anything from £3-£25 per day for parking out of their net wage.

I'm not sure if I've read it right though...

[tigersaw]

Perhaps people in villages should pay a levy on the cleaner air they breathe, or councils could introduce a 'nice view' tax.
Its one of the daftest things I've heard, it will encourage on road parking and I would imagine hard to implement.

[Bibio]

i know lets all have a public transport day and see how that works out.

who is it that sits in an office and comes up with things like this. bet its a nobby no mates who rides a push bike to work and has lettuce sandwiches for lunch then goes home and beats himself with thorny branches for being such a knob.

[Specialone]

If you work in the city then parking fees are a necessary evil, but if you work for a company that has to pay rates on the land they own / rent then why the feck should they be charged again for using their land to provide parking for their employees???

This will not help cash strapped companies grow, or help employees get cost of living wage increases.

I make no efforts to hide my tory views, but they are making a non tory style tax there and will cause negative vibes.

There are tough times ahead and some difficult decisions to be made, many will be unpopular, but they should leave the stealth taxes to the stealth tax experts, the labour party (over 2500 new taxes under the labour reign since 1997).

Edit, do they want us to use public transport to get to work?
If so, then its crap and wont cope and when all the employees are getting to work without their cars then the revenue wont be able to be collected so they wont have the cash coming in, so what then?

What about temporary visit spaces and people like me who travel to different places all the time?

Phil

[maviczap]

Its one of the daftest things I've heard, it will encourage on road parking

exactley :smt013

i know lets all have a public transport day and see how that works out.

Thats another problem altogether, as rural bus routes are also underthreat from council spending cuts :(

[kwak zzr]

id rather walk.

[MisterTommyH]

The way I read it it wouldn't be a tax levied on a business but on it's employees that work there. I.e., If you work for a company that provides free parking facilities then you will be taxed as if you earned an extra £250 per year- therefore making your 'free parking' a taxable benefit in kind a la healthcare / company car or whatever.

If this is the case, then that is a pretty reasonable rate for parking for a year, when you considr that people who drive to work where an employer doesn't provide free parking may pay anything from £3-£25 per day for parking out of their net wage.

I'm not sure if I've read it right though...

I think it's a charge on the company, and it would then be their choice whether to pass it on to employees or not. Plus I'm not sure what mechanism a local council would have to collect tax from the employees, many of whom will live outside their area.

Problem with that argument is that I may have chosen my employer based on the fact they provide free parking (if I had two similar offers).

Plus, I'll bet they won't charge NCP an extra £250 per spot per year for the existing spots. They just keep the charges as pure profit.

[Messie]

So what about schools? We have 70+ parking spaces. I already pay a bit of my own wages via income tax and council tax. Now I even have to pay to park at the place where I work.

I hate it enough already. This could be a small nail in an already pushed down coffin lid.

[Jackie_Black]

If I had to pay money to park at school i'd start using their car park as a car lot.

[Biker Biggles]

Another Gordon Brown(oh he's gone)David Cameron stealth tax.
Read the new laws.
Same as the old laws.
Won't get fooled again.

[Biker Biggles]

i know lets all have a public transport day and see how that works out.

who is it that sits in an office and comes up with things like this. bet its a nobby no mates who rides a push bike to work and has lettuce sandwiches for lunch then goes home and beats himself with thorny branches for being such a knob.

Thats the bloke:)
We've got one of them as well,so could we all wrap up a tu&d in an envelope and send it to him.
Just to make him feel wanted :smt056

[Gazza77]

Will be like fuel duty, two taxes on the same thing. Companies will already be likely to buying business rates based on the land...

Having said that, most of us NHS employees have been paying to park at work for years. But then the public sector have a cushy life don't they. ;)

[maviczap]

Will be like fuel duty, two taxes on the same thing. Companies will already be likely to buying business rates based on the land...

Having said that, most of us NHS employees have been paying to park at work for years. But then the public sector have a cushy life don't they. ;)

Good old George said that the pain would be shared equally and fairly between all wage levels, but if you don't get much in the first place :smt120