Parking meters in Rovaniemi to become non-functional this weekend due to VAT increase

The majority of parking meters in Rovaniemi will become non-functional this weekend, according to the city officials. This issue arises due to an increase in the value-added tax (VAT), which takes effect on Sunday, September 1st. The general VAT rate will rise from 24% to 25.5%.

Rovaniemi’s city council indicated that most of the parking meters are unable to recognize the new tax rate, making updates impossible. Approximately 40 parking meters will be covered over the weekend. While some of these will be manually updated during September, the majority will be permanently taken out of service and repurposed as information kiosks.

The city will successfully update 17 parking meters over the weekend. The remaining meters will be relocated to ensure an even distribution throughout the city.

In the future, drivers will be encouraged to pay for parking using mobile payment options. Earlier announcements from the city indicated that due to the VAT increase, parking fees in Rovaniemi will rise by 20 cents, bringing the rate to €2.20 per hour starting in early September.