Parking space outside your home? Then you'll have to pay tax on that

By Marie Woolf
The Independent
Dec. 10, 2006

Homeowners who have parking spaces on the road outside their home face higher council tax bills - even if they don't have a car.

Ministers have admitted that the availability of parking outside people's properties will be considered by inspectors assessing how much council tax households should pay. The "parking tax"- which will come on top of the cost of residents' parking permits - has been condemned as unfair by the Tories.

The Independent on Sunday has learnt that, in addition to the size of a property and its location, the availability of on-road parking, is being considered as a contributor to its value. Propertieson wide roads could pay hundreds of pounds more than similar-sized homes nearby.

"There seems to be no lengths to which the Government will go to tax another attribute of your home," said the MP Caroline Spelman.Ministers have already admitted that a fish pond, animal hutch or an "attractive flower arrangement" could count in home valuations.