Workplace Parking Tax ...

Owen

Apparently, Gordon Brown is considering a workplace parking tax in the UK. If it's implemented, how long before our boys here deicde it's a great idea too? As if it isn't difficult enough to be a motoring enthusiast in this country ...

Anan1

I don't know that driving to work qualifies one as a 'motoring enthusiast'.;)
Personally, I think workplace parking should be subject to BIK in cases where the car is not used for work.

Tipsy Mac

It will never come in over here as the civil servants would be up in arms about it and they make the law. Of course if there could be some kind of exemption for those working for the state in it would come :mad:

Owen

Anan1 wrote:

Personally, I think workplace parking should be subject to BIK in cases where the car is not used for work.

Did you leave out a smiley there? That has to be sarcasm at it's best. Charging people to park outside work? That's a bit beyond a joke TBH.

Anan1

ned78 wrote:

Did you leave out a smiley there? That has to be sarcasm at it's best. Charging people to park outside work? That's a bit beyond a joke TBH.

A workplace parking place has a monetary value, just like a company car. Why shouldn't it be subject to BIK?

MrPudding

ned78 wrote:

Did you leave out a smiley there? That has to be sarcasm at it's best. Charging people to park outside work? That's a bit beyond a joke TBH.

Here is some sarcasm for you:

Hopefully if it does come in the civil servants will have an exemption. They have it really hard you know?

MrP

Steve

Anan1 wrote:

A workplace parking place has a monetary value, just like a company car. Why shouldn't it be subject to BIK?

So has toilet paper:D

Cushtie

I think it was tried before to have it subject to BIK and the civil service shot it down fairly sharpish, no link but I deffo heard it before alright

Anan1

That sounds familiar to me too. Maybe they'll try again, now that stamp duty revenues are going down the toilet.

maidhc

Anan1 wrote:

Personally, I think workplace parking should be subject to BIK in cases where the car is not used for work.

If part of your employment contract is a city centre parking spot, then BIK probably makes sense. If however you park in an out of town industrial estate... then it hardly seems fair. On the other hand, if you have to bring your car into work...e.g. because there is no other options then neither seems fair.

Successive governments have promoted development in far flung places where the only viable means of transport is by car. It is a bit rich if they now stated to spin the idea that brining your car to work is somehow a "benefit" to you.

I'd much rather to be able to take the bus to work, sell my focus diesel and just keep the capri as a "daily" driver...

Anan1

I agree with you as regards government planning. The fact remains, however, that a parking space in say Dublin 2 is worth fairly big money. It should therefore be liable for BIK in exactly the same way as other payments made by ones employer.

buzzard

BIK for car parking will not be implemented in this country

Guess why ?

In the civil service the Revenue Commissioners command the most car parking spaces in Dublin city.

They are not going to tax themselves.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Buzzard is correct. The civil service would be most hit by this BIK so it won't happen. Also keep in mind that BIK can only be applied if you have a fixed guaranteed parking spot provided for you. Talk of taxing parking in any other circumstance is nonsense.

bazz26

When there is a proper public transport infrastructure through out this country them maybe I would consider it a necessary evil if it reduced traffic congestion and benefited the environment.

Until then I would only see it as another way of generating money from the already hard hit, soft touch Irish motorist.

seamus

This would certainly be a valid tax for businesses who have their workplaces within certain predefined city limits - say within the North/South Circular area in Dublin.

There is definitely a monetary value on such parking spaces - particularly where the company has an agreement/contract with a local car park.

It wouldn't be fair to impose it on businesses outside of these limits though - their employees may not have any reasonable alternative modes of transport. And it would only be prudent to improve the cycle/public infrastructure to actually facilitate people getting in and out.

Dublin City Council and an Bord Pleanala are in fact turning down business planning applications which incorporate a medium-large amount of parking, over or under ground. This is in line with the attempts to discourage people from using their cars to commute into the city centre.

Mitch Connor

i don't get it at all, maybe someone can explain it for me.

If a company is providing an emploee with a parking space that could be viewed as a taxable BIK, surely they either own the plot of land it is on, or are renting it from the person that does.

If they own it, and decide to allow an employee to park there, why is it, or should it be, taxable? They paid for the plot in the first place (and this purchase would have been taxed in some way.

If they are renting it, and subsequently allowing an employee to park there, then there would be tax getting paid on the rent.

Why should a parking space be taxable at all to the individual if their company is providing them with it, and paying for it.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Tauren wrote:

iWhy should a parking space be taxable at all to the individual if their company is providing them with it, and paying for it.

Not much different to an employer producing goods which are then given free, or at a reduced rate, to employees - these are taxed as BIK.

smash

Anan1 wrote:

I agree with you as regards government planning. The fact remains, however, that a parking space in say Dublin 2 is worth fairly big money. It should therefore be liable for BIK in exactly the same way as other payments made by ones employer.

no it shouldn't... it's not a perk to be able to park where you work, if the company has parking supplied why the hell should an employee have to pay BIK on that!

And if it's not designated parking should I have to pay BIK on a spot that I might get one or two days a week.....

MrPudding

steve06 wrote:

no it shouldn't... it's not a perk to be able to park where you work, if the company has parking supplied why the hell should an employee have to pay BIK on that!

And if it's not designated parking should I have to pay BIK on a spot that I might get one or two days a week.....

If they introduced bik on parking spaces supplied by a company woul dthat mean that parking you had to pay for yourself for work would become tax deductible?

MrP

smash

What about parking in residential areas... If I have a house in Ballsbridge should I have to pay tax on parking my car in my driveway becasuse the land is worth a lot.... No, because I own the land!

Now if a company owns an office block in town should an employee have to pay a government tax to park in the company car park... No, because the company owns the land and they're allowing it's employees to use it!

unkel

steve06 wrote:

Now if a company owns an office block in town should an employee have to pay a government tax to park in the company car park... No, because the company owns the land and they're allowing it's employees to use it!

What about if the company "owns" a lot of gold bars and regularly hands them over to the employees for free?

Any benefit in kind is just that and in principle should be taxed (once its value goes over a certain threshold). Now if it is practical to do so is a different matter...

smash

different... the company is not giving an employee a parking space, it's letting a company use the facility

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

If a company is providing a guaranteed parking space each day where the employeee would normally have to pay for parking, then there is a prima facie case for BIK taxation. It cannot be applied where that parking is not regular and guaranteed for the employee's use. If a brewing company gives employees a free beer allowance, they are taxed as BIK. The free parking is a Benefit provided by the employer.

upsfan

steve06 wrote:

different... the company is not giving an employee a parking space, it's letting a company use the facility

Use is included, what if a company provides free hookers and coke? Well hookers anyway. Or, say- a company car. Eh?

Company cars are only subject to BIK if they are available for the employee's private use (this includes travelling to work though.) They are not subject if they are used from a pool for chiefly work purposes. Similarly I doubt shared parking spaces could qualify even if this was introduced. A prime city-centre parking spot on Fitzwilliam Square, however, could be a different story (see hookers and coke above.)

Eoin

I think the last time this came up there was a question about if you could be taxed only if you have a spot reserved in your name. I drive in to work in the city centre daily, and if the car park is full, I'm on the street until someone leaves. This is the case for many people, and paying BIK on a spot you're not guaranteed is definitely unfair (whatever about the initial concept).

Edit - sorry Srameen, I missed your post.

Steve

According to revenue website parking is excluded from BIK.
So will yez all keep quiet in case one of them is reading and gets a bright idea for a promotion..:eek:

blorg

This is an endeavour by Nottingham City Council, not the government (although the government did give councils this power.) It is seen as a more palatable alternative to congestion charging. More here:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article2517668.ece
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/25/nspeed225.xml

JHMEG

I thought this topic had already come up in this country a few years ago, maybe when Charlie McCreevy was MoF? And that it was shot down then because of the Civil Servants having so many free parking spaces in Dublin City Centre?

Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Gatster

As bazz26 said, this is utterly unfeasible for this country as the public transport infrastructure is so utterly woeful. Even if there was a different infrastructure, I think this is taking the p!ss (like I think Nottingham Council are).

Tails142

JHMEG wrote:

I thought this topic had already come up in this country a few years ago, maybe when Charlie McCreevy was MoF? And that it was shot down then because of the Civil Servants having so many free parking spaces in Dublin City Centre?

Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Yes but us civil servants are all being decentralized so... soon my precious.... mwahahahah

mikedragon32

Tails142 wrote:

Yes but us civil servants are all being decentralized so... soon my precious.... mwahahahah

Not all of us Tails...

But I use public transport...

JHMEG is partly correct too. Charlie McC did intend to introduce a BIK tax on parking and there was resistance from Revenue and from his own Dept. at the time.

I think it's great how ministers with fully paid-for luxury saloons, driven by Gardaí, who don't have to worry about road-tax, insurance, congestion, delays etc. can think of great new ways to screw the population.