Tomorrow, the DC Council will hold a hearing on the “Clean Air Compliance Fee” bill. Currently, DC (and other jurisdictions) tax parking garages and paid employee parking. But there’s a loophole: if an office gives out free parking, there’s no tax, even though the impact of the cars on the roads and the environment is just as great (or greater, because free parking encourages driving).

This bill establishes a charge for free parking that is close to, but a little less than, the comparable parking tax for similar downtown parking spaces. People close to the issue expect that the bill will end up applying only to downtown for now, where congestion is high and the price of market-rate parking is well known.

The revenue from the fee would likely go to transit improvements or to encouraging hybrid taxis; both would make a major impact on air quality. Ideally, employers would pass on the parking fee to employees (or give them a “cash out” option where they can forego parking and share in the savings), creating a direct incentive to choose transit, carpool, walk, bike, scooter, or rollerblade.

The hearing is tomorrow at 2 pm, and the witness list is full of owners of big buildings with big parking garages. Please come testify if you can. To sign up, call Marcus Goodwin at 202-724-8195. You can also email mgoodwin@dccouncil.us with written testimony (and please CC Councilmember Jim Graham at grahamwone@gmail.com) if you are unable to attend.

David Alpert created Greater Greater Washington in 2008 and was its executive director until 2020. He formerly worked in tech and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco Bay, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He lives with his wife and two children in Dupont Circle.