Hobart City Council estimates it will net an extra $2.2 million in on-street parking revenue

Hobart City Council has revealed the eye-watering amount it expects to pocket from on-street parking revenue in the next financial year.

Motorists in Salamanca coming to terms with the new parking meters being rolled out around Hobart. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

HOBART City Council is expected to pocket an extra $2.2 million from on-street parking revenue this financial year.

According to budget papers, the council is also expected to reap more from parking fines than it will from parking fees and charges.

The council estimates it will net $8.5 million in parking fines in 2018-19 compared to $6.4 million in fees and charges during the same period.

The council projects its total revenue for on-street parking will be $14.9 million while in 2017-18 that figure was $12.7 million. In 2016-17 the total on-street parking revenue was $12.8 million.

Tasmanian independent MP for Denison Andrew Wilkie has lodged a complaint with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission about the council’s decision to impose a $3 minimum charge when using a credit or debit card for parking meter payments.

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Mr Wilkie said parking revenue was rising steeply because of the excessive credit card fees as well as fines paid by confused consumers.

“The council’s own report shows that it budgets on consumers paying more in parking fines than parking fees, which suggests that it is quite happy to have an unsatisfactory parking meter system, which results in an excessive and unnecessary number of confused people getting tickets,” Mr Wilkie said.

But Hobart City Council general manager Nick Heath denied the allegations, maintaining that the council absorbs and subsidises much of the costs associated with credit card payments used in the parking meters.

“Mr Wilkie has been offered a number of opportunities to better inform himself about the parking system which he has chosen not to take up,” Mr Heath said.

“Increases in parking revenue have occurred through greater occupancy rates for both on and off-street parking.”