Brussels to hike fee on companies with excess parking lots

Brussels to hike fee on companies with excess parking lots
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Companies in Brussels will be faced with increased fees for their parking spaces by 2021, in a move by authorities to continue dissuading commuting to work by car.

The move would hike an existing fee charged to companies who have unused parking spaces, which they can avoid paying if they choose to give up the parking space or to open their parking lot to local residents.

Introduced in 2014, the measure targetted companies perceived as having a large number of parking spots, in the hopes of boosting air quality and fighting road congestion by cutting the number of car commutes into Brussels.

"The fee is not high enough to deter, Environment Minister Alain Maron said, adding the regional government would move to increase the hike but that it was too early to unveil practical details, according to Bruzz.

Noting that, this year, over half of companies concerned chose to pay for their surplus parking spaces instead of sharing them or giving them up, Maron said the government would tighten regulations by 2021.

Out of a total of 5,487 excess parking spots, a total of 2,878 (52%) were subjected to the tax, according to BX1, which in 2019 brought €923,242 into the government's coffers.

Gabriela Galindo

The Brussels Times


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