Hundreds of GPs could be hit by the SNP’s hated car park tax – despite a supposed NHS exemption on the scheme.

The vast majority of practices across the country are privately run by doctors themselves, and not the local health board. It means 793 surgeries would be hit with the unpopular tax, under the SNP proposals. And with an average of five GPs working at each practice in Scotland - and the tax understood to be around £500 a year – the annual bill for Scotland’s doctors could be as much as £2 million.

It’s the latest unravelling of the hare-brained plans, included at the last minute by finance secretary Derek Mackay to appease Holyrood’s six Green MSPs. The SNP have also admitted to carrying out no analysis on their car parking tax and even some SNP MSPs have begun to distance themselves from the tax.

The car parking tax could see workers paying hundreds of pounds just to park at their place of work. Motoring groups and teaching unions have all hit out the idea which would see workers and small businesses suffer.

With every day that goes by, it’s becoming clear that Derek Mackay’s shoddy budget was scrawled by the Greens on the back of a cigarette packet.

Cllr Alastair Redman