On Tuesday May 26, the Western Australia State Government announced an increase in the annual CBD car bay license fee. Owners of commercial car parks in Perth are facing a $1 per bay per day increase from 1st July. This is an increase of $365 on the existing levy of $221, meaning that car park owners will be required to pay an annual amount of $586 per bay to the State Government.
The Government says that the fees will be used to help pay for an improvement to the Central Area Transport services (know as ‘CAT’ services, a free bus service that operates around the CBD) as well as free transit zone travel.
Consumers using car parks in the CBD, can expect to pay an additional $1.60 per day in parking fees. Perth City Council chief executive Frank Edwards said that this would likely be an even higher rate of around $2.50 per day, to make up for revenue lost on weekends, public holidays and from free motorcycle bays.
The Property Council of Australia, as well as other stakeholders such as car park operators (of which the Perth City Council is one), have called on the Government to demand an abolition of the increase, claiming that CBD businesses would be hurt from the tax, and city retailers would be devastated as shoppers turn to local shopping centres.
You can read more about this new levy increase on the Property Council of Australia’s website ‘Shock increase in Perth parking levy’ and on The West’s article ‘City parking fees to rise at least $1 a day’.
In related news, congestion tax fears are spreading towards South Australia. It seems that Adelaide City Council is investigating a London style congestion tax in the near future. The Adelaide Lord Mayor, Michael Harbison, discussed in December the ‘congestion’ strategy to parking fees in the CBD, with fees introduced that mean “…people pay up to $50 a week more for their car parking if they’re not in the car park by 8:30… before the rush starts”. See the full article, ‘Call for CBD tax to ease traffic congestion’, here.
Have you heard anything about the state of car park levies in Adelaide? Or do you have a point of view about the Perth levy? Let us know by using the ‘add comment’ link below.