Motorist boost the coffers

The war on motorists looks set to get worse in the suburbs.  Nottingham council has said that they expect that by 2014 commuters could face a "car parking tax" of as much as £350 a year to park at their workplace.  Failure to pay the charge would be £175 per offence. 

Now, I understand parking charges on council owned property, but charging companies tax to have their employees park on private property seems a little unfair.  Of course, employers will probably pass this cost on to employees.  They see this as an alternative to a congestion charge.  Once again the government and local government fail to realise that, for many, there is no alternative.  People do not sit in traffic for the fun of it; they do it because they have to.  It is all very well to have a congestion charge in central London, where there is a mass public transport infrastructure, but those in the suburbs and countryside can not jump on the tube or have the luxury of a constant stream of buses dropping outside their doorstep.  They have to drive and so they have to pay the financial penalties... then again, may the government and local government know this all too well - does wonders for raising coffers even if it doesn't tackle climate change or congestion.