Calls to increase Perth Parking Levy won’t grow our ailing CBD
Calls to increase the Perth Parking Levy, if implemented will discourage people from coming into the CBD, costing business and putting jobs at risk.
We want Perth to grow again – and it won’t grow if we burden office owners, motorists and tenants with billions in new taxes.
Currently over 20% of the offices of Perth are vacant and 16% of retail premises as well – and the Grattan Institute wants to hit property owners with more taxes at a time when they are struggling to attract tenants into the CBD.
“The suggestion of the Grattan Institute that we should make Perth even more expensive makes no sense,” said Alix Rhodes Property Council WA Deputy Executive Director.
“Calls to make coming into the CBD even more expensive at a time when we desperately need more foot traffic will cause wide spread economic harm to inner-city retailers and other business.
“It is a credit to the Government that in this State budget, in September, they realised to continue to increase the Perth Parking Levy would be detrimental to business and the overall vibrancy of the City.
“With less people now working in the CBD, we must look at ways to attract new business into the city as well as make retail attractive to people from the suburbs. The Perth Parking Levy has driven up the cost of parking, making the city uncompetitive, compared to suburban shopping centres that all offer free parking.
“The parking levy is highly inequitable as it only captures a small portion of the cars that contribute to Perth’s congestion issues.
“The Levy also applies to all commercial buildings’ parking bays, which makes investors less likely to purchase property in the CBD, stagnating the market and doing nothing to increase Perth’s worker population.
“Perth CBD is in urgent need of revitalisation and the State Government should continue to focus on delivering infrastructure projects that keep WA growing through job creation, not over taxation,” Ms Rhodes said.
Media Contact: Sadie Davidson E: [email protected] Ph: 0467977427