I have heard in the marketplace that the good parking operators in our favorite city, Baghdad by the Bay, have gotten what they wished for. And it may have bitten them in the rear.
As frequent readers of this blog know, San Francisco has gone through a number of alliterations in their goal to have auditable revenue control equipment in their fair city. First, they wrote a specification that 95% of the manufacturers hated and fought tooth and nail. The operators also fought the spec because it meant that they had to purchase upgraded or new equipment. In the brouhaha that followed, the city decided to alter the spec slightly, and give the operators the right to "Certify Themselves."
Yep, the operators could send a letter to the city saying they meet the requirements of the law, and all is right with the world. So far so good.
However, in January, the local SF tax folks sent out a new tax filing form, and in it were some requests for data that would be easily available with equipment that met the specification. However, for some reason, the operators are saying that they will have problems getting the information.
They have even met with the tax collector to plead their case. The City is considering their plea.
Careful, you may get what you wish for…
JVH
