EASTWOOD MSP Jackson Carlaw has claimed workers face being "thumped" by plans to allow councils chiefs to introduce a tax if they park their car at their place of employment.

Mr Carlaw, who is interim leader of the Scottish Conservatives, said an annual charge of £400 a year for this would be the equivalent of hiking the basic rate of income tax from 20p to 30p for those earning the real living wage.

The Scottish Government has already committed in principle to give councils the power to bring in a workplace parking levy as part of a last-minute budget deal struck with the Greens.

Since then, opposition to the prospect of the charge has been mounting, with Mr Carlaw insisting many workers are "deeply alarmed about plans to charge them for taking their own car to work."

He raised the issue at the Scottish Parliament, where he told Deputy First Minister John Swinney that the Tories would oppose any workplace parking charges.

Mr Carlaw added: "Can the Deputy First Minister tell us, when he promised not to increase the basic rate of income tax before the election, did he imagine he would be voting to thump those same workers with a new levy equivalent to a tax hike of 10p in the pound?"

However, Mr Swinney said: "This is an agreement to bring forward an amendment to the Transport Bill that will enable local authorities to exercise a judgement as to whether they wish to apply a workplace parking levy.

"The decision will be up to local authorities to take."