Parking tax

Background

• Pittsburgh had the highest parking tax in the nation. Then the parking tax was raised to 50-percent, even highrer.

• In 2007, Pittsburgh's parking tax drops to 45-percent because of stipulations within the PA bail-out from Harrisburg. The 45-percent tax on parking is still the highest in the nation.

Insights

All parking fees within the city limits are to have a tax applied to the consumer's bill. The tax is to be paid along with both one-time rates to park and with monthly parking leases.

It costs $14 to park in downtown. They wonder why no one shopped at the now closed Lazarus store at 5th and Forbes. It could be because the parking garage underneath (the Oliver Street garage) charges $15 a day to park there.

History

The parking tax was put to 50-percent in the summer (2004) when mayor Tom Murphy created a budget crisis.

Free Parking Downtown

Jim Ferlo and others in city council members passed a free parking policy in the city in Sparkle Season in past years (2003).

Links

• Parking Authority
• Downtown
• Parking

Media

• City Council demands cut in parking rate when tax dips Post-Gazette, November, 2006 -- Pittsburgh City Council joined the mayor and Downtown interests yesterday in calling for cuts in parking rates when a tax on lots and garages dips in January, 2007.

Pittsburgh Parking Tax Going Down from 50% to 45%. Rates won't go down.

PITTSBURGH Pittsburgh's parking tax goes from 50 percent to 45 percent in January, 2006. However, parking fares shouldn't decrease.

Parking vendors -- including Alco Parking and the Pittsburgh Parking Authority -- say they'll use the extra revenue they get to pay for increasing costs.

Details

A parking tax of 50 percent means one-third of what commuters pay to park goes to the tax. With a $15 parking tab, $10 goes to the vendor and $5 (50 percent of the actual parking fee) - goes to the city. With a 45 percent tax level, the city gets $4.50 for every $10 someone pays to park.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl was hoping that commuters would have to pay only $14.50 to park in such a situation, but operators suggest the price will remain $15.