ON THE WEB

Parking fees: Another tax or millennium scam?

After milking the Arusha residents dry with a number of taxes, The Arusha Municipal Council has now come up with the tax of the millennium namely the Car Parking fees, in effect from 1^st March 2002, whose rates are as follows; lorries pay Sh.1,000, commercial light trucks and taxis Sh.500 daily while private vehicles are to be charged Sh.200 hourly, per vehicle parked within the town centre.

Although there is no sense in charging the commercial vehicles less than the private cars, still the amount demanded is outrageous. Imagine a car parked outside the owners business or residential  premises to be charged Sh.2,400 daily, assuming not to be charged during the weekends its Sh.60,000 monthly amounting to Sh.720,000 annually which is almost the same as or even more than all other taxes combined paid by an average businessman.

Can the Government please intervene and advice the Council to come up with realistic rates, otherwise most of the car owners shall give up their cars rather than pay the cost of the car, as parking fees of four years.

We would also appreciate if the Council could educate us on the noble cause it intends to undertake with the projected revenue as, as to rough calculations, if 10,000 cars pay the fees daily, ignoring the commercial vehicles fees, then the annual collection would amount to Tsh.72 billion which is almost eight per cent of TRAs total countrywide collection, if we are not mistaken.

We pray that something is going to be done by the Government to stop the councils from fixing unreasonable taxes.

The worried car owner of Arusha

[ Home ] [ Up ] [ Ali Baba ] [ Grateful to NGOs ] [ Wives at Nyamwezi ] [ Parking fees ]

Last modified: March 09, 2002.
Copyright © 2001 Arusha Times.  E-mail: editor@arushatimes.co.tz

Webmaster:   WDJMallya