Starting this July 1, the collection of the Contribution for the off-street parking service would begin in Cali, one of the mechanisms intended to generate resources for the sustainability of the MÍO Mass Transportation System.
“The parking fee is the contribution that these businesses have to pay for the charge they make to each customer. The decree has already been signed and we have begun the implementation stage, for which we must, through Datic and with the support of the Treasury, create the technological platform for collecting parking lots.”explained Wilmer Tabares, Secretary of Mobility of Cali.
The passive subject of this rule are the drivers of private vehicles, so they would be the ones who, ultimately, pay this fee that the parking lots will later turn over to the District.
The goal is to have the collection technology platform ready before the end of this month. In that case, the parking lots will begin collecting the Contribution in July and then they will have a deadline of ten calendar days, that is, until August 10, to fill out a Declaration Form on the amounts collected and to make the payment of these resources to the Mayor’s Office. This is how this mechanism will operate month by month.
The Cali Secretariat of Security and Justice will be in charge of controlling and monitoring that the decree is complied with, and in the event that the payment of contributions to the Administration is not made, the parking lots will be sanctioned.
All establishments in the city dedicated to this activity will be part of the initiative, but it will start with the more than 70 that are already fully identified and characterized. At the same time, The Planning Department and the Ministry of Security and Justice are carrying out the diagnosis and review of the remaining parking spaces, since it is estimated that there are between 200 and 250 in Cali.
“Some of these businesses are legal and others not so legal, so what we have to move forward with is the identification of these parking spaces to also include them in the charge. After they are characterized, they have 30 business days to start collecting,” explained the Secretary of Mobility.
How much will drivers be charged?
In accordance with Decree 0439 of 2024, the value to be collected is obtained by carrying out two operations. First, you must multiply an already established base of 0.1236 by the Tax Value Unit (UVT) that the DIAN sets at the beginning of each year, and which for 2024 is $47,065 pesos.
Then, you must multiply the result of this operation (5817.2) by 0.286, which is the value of the rate for the Regulated Parking Zones (ZER) of Cali and which, according to the document, is the one applicable for this Contribution.
These equations yield an approximate value of $1,700 pesos, which is the estimated amount that drivers would pay for the Contribution, and that the Mayor’s Office would then charge the parking lots for each customer they receive. The Department of Finance will be the one to ratify this figure in the coming days, before the implementation of the measure begins.
What is clear is that “there will be an increase because I imagine that each parking lot administrator is going to transfer part of the fee directly to the payment that the user must make, “But there will not be a substantial change in the value, it would be around 10% of what they already charge,” explained Wilmer Tabares.
The fee charged would be for each use, That is to say, if a person entered their vehicle into a parking lot three times a day, they would be charged three times, regardless of the hours their vehicle was parked. Likewise, if you only used one parking lot all day, you will be charged only once regardless of whether it was for many hours.
“In the case of weekly, biweekly or monthly parking, for the settlement of the Contribution for the parking service, daily use will be understood, depending on the modality,” says Agreement 563 of 2023, which is also the norm for this mechanism.
It should be noted that this does not establish a limit for the parking lots’s rates, but rather an amount that is presumed to be added. “Parking prices are not regulated, there is free competition according to the provision of the service, but we do have to find a way at some point to regulate those values,” concluded Tabares Marín.
What do the people of Cali think?
The country visited several parking lots in the city seeking the opinion of their administrators or owners on the collection that will begin to be made.
Although they preferred to remain anonymous, They said that until now they have not been informed by the Administration on this issue. She took them by surprise.
Although the Mayor’s Office posted the draft decree on its website between May 20 and 25 for citizens to read it and participate by leaving their comments, no comments were received at the end of the six days.
Víctor Hugo Vallejo, administrative law lawyer and mobility expert, considered that this is not the appropriate way to finance the city’s Mass Transportation Service, for which he added that a lot has been done.
“It’s time to review routes, routes and times of MÍO. It is not with resources from those who do not use it that the system can be financed. “It must be thought in a better way, not with that merely fiscal spirit,” he opined.
One of the areas of Cali most affected by high vehicular traffic is the San Fernando neighborhood, specifically in the Parque del Perro. Joan Manuel Solís, community leader of the sector, stated that this Contribution does not help eliminate mobility problems and the lack of citizen culture, but only seeks to raise resources.
“The city and its ‘immobility’ are solved with order, authority and actions that truly stimulate sustainable mobility. “We cannot complain that people do not park correctly, but at the same time, punish those who do by charging more taxes for leaving their vehicle in the places designated for it.”Solís argued.
For his part, Councilor Edison Giraldo said that this measure should not be new for citizens, since it has been discussed since 2018 and is endorsed for implementation.
He also said that these businesses should not pass on 100% of this charge to users, as it may discourage the use of parking spaces, and that the Administration must begin to look at this issue to find how to solve it.
“In Cali we have two situations: on the one hand, we have areas where there is a high concentration of parking spaces, many of them, in spaces where this type of business is not allowed or there are others that are not formalized. And on the other hand, There are areas that do not have enough parking, as is the case with the Dog Park. Situations like these should also lead the Administration to generate, instead of contributions, incentives that promote the construction of parking lots. Cities like Pereira have already done it, for example, exonerating those who build parking lots from 100% of the property tax for 10 years,” added the Cali councilor.
Temporary parking
Temporary parking lots that are established for the development of public events, such as conferences, concerts, among others, will also have to collect and pay this Contribution.
“They must comply with the characterization and contribution indicated here, with a term of no less than five days after the favorable concept of the Planning Department, which is issued for their disposition and operation”explains Decree 0439.
That is to say, those who are going to establish a temporary parking lot must request authorization, identify themselves and obtain the endorsement of the Mayor’s Office more than five days in advance of the event.
