Most Scots oppose plan for workplace parking tax
● Poll prompts call to axe proposals ● Income tax shift also under fire
A majority of Scots oppose controversial new plans to introduce a tax on people parking at work, a new poll has found.
And most Scots say workers north of the Border should not have to pay more income tax than they would face elsewhere in the UK.
The Scottish Government has overhauled the income tax system in Scotland which means higher earners pay more, but those on low incomes pay marginally less.
New research today finds that 40 per cent of Scots strongly oppose the proposal to give councils the power to introduce a workplace parking levy, while 15 per cent somewhat oppose it. Just 8 per cent strongly support the plan, while 14 per cent somewhat support it, according to the Survation poll of 1,011 people.
And a total of 52 per cent either strongly (37 per cent) or somewhat (15 per cent) disagree that Scots should pay more income tax. Just 27 per cent agree with this idea.
Tory finance spokesman Murdo Fraser said: “This poll shows almost nobody is enthusiastic about the car park tax proposal.
“Nicola Sturgeon must drop it immediately. The SNP also thinks that it can whack up workers’ tax and no-one will notice or care. This poll shows that’s not the case.”
All Scots on a salary above £27,000 will pay more in income tax than they would
0 Plans for a tax on people parking at work have been criticised
elsewhere in the UK under the Scottish Government’s tax regime. However, about 55 per cent of workers will pay marginally less.
The polling shows that among those who voted No in the 2014 independence referendum, only 18 per cent are prepared to pay more in tax than south of the Border.
Polling expert Sir John Curtice said: “Higher taxes will not necessarily help the First Minister
win another independence referendum.”
The workplace parking levy has prompted a widespread backlash among the public and motoring organisations after it was agreed as a concession to the Greens in last moth’s Scottish budget. It could see Scots charged up to £400 for parking at work. It would be up to individual councils to press ahead with a workplace parking tax, but city leaders in Edinburgh say they are keen on the idea.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Most Scottish taxpayers will pay less income tax next year than if they lived elsewhere in the UK. People in Scotland continue to have access to a wider and better funded set of free-to-access public services than if they lived elsewhere in the UK.”