A coalition of business interests in Vancouver handed out flyers and leaflets in the downtown core Thursday morning to protest the tripling of the provincial sales tax on parking.

The tax, which applies to off-street paid parking lots in Metro Vancouver, increased to 21 per cent from seven per cent at the beginning of 2010. It is the first increase since 1999.

The 30 groups that form the "Drive Out the Tax" coalition range from building and business owners to community organizations.

Charles Gauthier, with the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association, said the increase is exorbitant and inequitable.

"We would welcome an opportunity to sit down with TransLink and talk about options that are much more equitable and don't target a specific group of users in Metro Vancouver," he said.

The tax is collected by the provincial government and handed over to TransLink, the region's transportation authority.

The money is used to maintain everything from public transit to major roads and bridges.

"The campaign is intended to educate the public to the fact that, according to the provincial comptroller general, for five years TransLink had no plan and continued to spend despite knowing they couldn't afford their actions and now want some parkers to pay for the consequences of their actions," Gauthier said.

He was referring to a report released in November 2009 calling for major restructuring and reform at TransLink, saying it had reached the point at which "substantial operating deficits in 2010 and beyond will be difficult to avoid."

Vancouver's parking rates still low: TransLink

However, TransLink spokesman Ken Hardie said the increase came about as part of talks with the region about ways to pay for the transportation system.

"One of the more popular ways, if you want to use that term, was in fact the parking tax," he said.

"It was based on input from many, many thousands of people. That measure was put in the package that is sustaining the system now."

Hardie said Metro Vancouver's parking rates are still low in comparison to other major centres in Canada.

He said on a $10 parking charge, the increase amounts to an additional $1.40.