Drivers in the region are taking a second glance at their parking receipts after noticing the staggering tax added to their rate.
After parking in an underground Whole Foods lot in North Vancouver, a driver paid a total of $5.20 to park for an hour. Later, they shared a photo of the receipt, which broke down the cost: $3.99 for total parking and $1.21 for total tax.
“30% Tax for parking?” the driver wrote in a post to Reddit.
One person responded, “Welcome to North Van.”
ByLaw officers in North Vancouver shared that the parking taxes can be found across Metro Vancouver (not just in its city). And it added, “TransLink is responsible for the administration of parking tax collected within Metro Vancouver.”
According to the TransLink site, a parking tax rate of 24% is applied to the purchase price of the parking rights sold to the customer before GST. The 5% GST applies to the parking price the vendor charges plus the parking tax payable to TransLink.
These taxes are usually used to fund road and transit operations.
In response to the parking tax discussion on Reddit, some discussed the pros and cons of paying. However, experts warn unpaid parking tickets could eventually impact your credit score.
The City of North Vancouver mentioned it operates five pay parking lots and charges a flat rate with no tax.
While the driver who started the discussion on Reddit said they were reimbursed after shopping at Whole Foods, it’s clear drivers in the region are rethinking how they get around.