vlad.tribnet.com / Issue #148 / Business / Reading article...

They are Vladivostok residents' latest object of resentment and ridicule. They are paid parking lots, run by city hall, and they are illegal, according to the city tax inspectorate.

Mayor Victor Cherepkov introduced paid parking in March in a number of heavily-trafficked lots downtown to raise revenue for the city's near-empty coffers. While most Western cities charge for parking in popular areas, the practice is unprecedented and unpopular in Vladivostok.

"When I parked the other day, I just looked [the attendant] straight in the eye as I was locking my car," said a driver who gave his name as Zhenya, 27. "He got up for a moment and then sat back down; he was afraid to come over. I'm glad it worked."

Local papers report the parking isn't raising much revenue, due to people like Zhenya. (The city declined to release the amount raised.) But the tax inspectors, who answer to the federal government, say Cherepkov's implementation is incorrect anyway.

Valentin Gonivovk, a spokesman for the tax inspectorate, says each lot should have a cash register, to record the exact intake. "But the money's going right into [attendants'] pockets," he said. Gonivovk also said attendants are charging more than the official amount, and that lots near the beach are more expensive than downtown. This is also illegal, he said.

Contacted by phone, the mayor's office refused to comment on the matter.

And according to federal law, all official receipts should meet national standards. The mayor's receipts violate the law, Gonivovk said.

Gonivovk says Cherepkov is failing to fulfill his mayoral responsibilities by spending money to equip his parking lots instead of on salaries for city workers and doctors.

According to city records, Cherepkov spent 68 million rubles ($12,000) to set up the lots this year.

Gonivovk says his department has notified the tax police, who usually have authority to arrest violators. However, neither department can arrest the mayor or his workers, he said.