Conservative MSP Meghan Gallacher has slammed the SNP over the introduction of workplace parking levies.
Her criticism comes after her party led a debate and vote in the Scottish Parliament, calling for the charges to be scrapped.
Despite this, the SNP forged ahead with its plans to allow local authorities to hit businesses with a levy for each parking space they offer. The businesses can, in turn, choose to pass the charge on to its employees.
Already SNP-led councils in Glasgow and Edinburgh have indicated that 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 its Green coalition partners.
No limit has been set on how much councils can charge.
Ms Gallacher said her party is firmly opposed to the workplace parking tax and repeated leader Douglas Ross’ assurance that no Scottish Conservative-led council in Lanarkshire would introduce it.
The MSP told Lanarkshire Live: “Any introduction of a workplace parking tax would be a hammer blow to hard working people and businesses in Lanarkshire.
“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 Lanarkshire are already facing a cost-of-living crisis and businesses are still only just recovering from the pandemic.
“Councils such as North and South Lanarkshire 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 Lanarkshire would ever impose this tax on employees.”
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