Conservative Councillors reacted with anger this week when the Lib Dems refused to ensure that a £300 000 rebate from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is returned to the motorist through a reduction in car parking charges.The Vale of White Horse District Council has been paying VAT on its car parking charges for years but now in a case brought by four councils (Isle of Wight, West Berkshire, Mid Suffolk and South Tyneside) the ruling stated that car parking should be exempt from VAT in areas where the car park was not competing against a commercial car park.Conservative Councillor Matthew Barber said "The money has to be returned to the people who have been disadvantaged by this error, the Motorist". Conservative Deputy Leader Terry Cox accused the Lib Dem Councillors, who refused to guarantee the return of the money, of a "Dishonest manoeuvre" and accused them of planning to use the money to plug financial gaps in other places.In his speech Cllr Barber added, "It is not only the £300,000 rebate but the council will now save an extra £60,000 a year. We have seen constant rises in car parking charges in the last few years in some cases a 100% rise. This kind of Stealth taxation cannot be tolerated and only goes to show that the Lib Dem war on the motorist shows no sign of letting up."Leader of the Conservative Group Cllr Melinda Tilley continued. "This money belongs to everyone who has used the car parks owned by the Vale of White Horse District Council. The Council has a duty to return this money anything less that this is simply stealing from the Tax payer."