SCOTTISH Labour councillors are at war with their colleagues in Holyrood over the Government’s controversial car park tax.

Delegates at the party’s conference in Dundee are being asked to back a motion, submitted by the rail union Aslef, calling for the levy to be scrapped.

The tax was one of the measures included in this year’s Holyrood budget after negotiations between the SNP and Scottish Greens.

It will devolve powers to councils allowing them to charge employers for every parking space provided for employees.

Yesterday, MSP James Kelly tweeted: “The SNP car park tax will unfairly hit low paid workers hardest. It will fail to address the issue of millions of pounds of cuts to council budgets. It is regressive and should be rejected.”

But his colleague, Cammy Day, who heads up the Labour group in Edinburgh City Council, disagreed.

Cammy Day said the parking tax is ‘not about targeting motorists'

Day told the Edinburgh Evening News that the party had campaigned at the last local elections in 2017 for the powers.

“We have argued councils need powers like the tourist tax and the workplace parking levy [WPL].

“What we have committed to do is consult with the city about whether the WPL is appropriate for the capital and if so how that would look – and that’s what we are about to do.

“It’s not about taxing cars, it’s about creating a new environment for people to work, live and enjoy the city.

“It’s not about targeting motorists, it’s about creating a more sustainable Edinburgh.

“This is one of the tools we should be looking at and I hope conference will accept that.

“Absolutely there have to be clauses for people who need their cars for their jobs. There has to be protection for certain groups of workers.

READ MORE: James Kelly gets humiliated in Holyrood budget debate

Day added: “If conference decides to pass this motion I hope it comes with caveats that understand local government is struggling over powers to raise finance and this is one we have asked for.”

SNP MP Tommy Sheppard said Day was “entirely right”.

“Labour asked for these powers. Yet when the Scottish Government accept that demand, Labour cry foul and insist it should be stopped.

“Ultimately it’s for the City of Edinburgh Council to decide whether a car park levy makes sense.

“That’s localism in action. But Labour’s opportunistic and insincere opposition to giving councils more power exposes how unprincipled the party has become,” Sheppard added.

Scottish Greens MSP John Finnie accused Labour of “shameless hypocrisy”.

He added: “Our proposals to devolve decision making powers to councils reflect measures the Labour Government took in England 20 years ago.

“The workplace parking levy has been introduced successfully by a Labour council in Nottingham, raising millions for public transport, while cutting emissions and air pollution.

“Labour included proposals for a workplace parking levy in its 2017 local authority election manifestos in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

“Yet, it has decided to ditch this good work ... offering no solution to tackle the thousands of air pollution-related deaths that occur each year in Scotland.

“I hope the Labour MSPs who hog the Holyrood car park will declare an interest before speaking in the debate.”

The Nottingham scheme, which charges businesses £415 per space, has been in operation since 2012.

READ MORE: Aberdeenshire Tories slammed for car park tax 'disinformation'

According to the AA, who oppose the charge, there are 10 local authorities in the UK looking to bring it in.

They say Hounslow Council is proposing to introduce a charge between £500 and £1000 and nine other councils are considering similar measures.

The motoring group’s president, Edmund King said: “It is a good thing to put money into transport but workplace parking is a pretty blunt instrument.

He warned of “unintended consequences” and urged councils to encourage the take-up of electric and lower emission vehicles instead.