Motorists in Wiltshire are spending millions of pounds a year on parking - with the local authority raking in far more than it spends on providing parking services.
The figures mirror a trend across England which the AA has called a "parking plunder spree" and a "tax on motorists."
In the 12 months to March 2025 on-street parking generated £2.2 million for the council, according to government figures published this week.
The amount the council said it spent on the administration and policing of on-street parking was £1.8 million, creating a surplus of around £400,000.
Meanwhile, off-street parking cost the council £4.4 million to deliver, but brought in revenue of £7.3 million - a surplus of £2.8 million.
The figures reflect a trend across England of councils making much more from parking than the provision of the service costs them.
The latest data from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government shows that local councils in England generated a grand total of £2.3 billion from parking between April 2024 and March 2025 - a surplus of £1.2 billion.
The AA said councils were going on a 'parking plunder spree'.
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the motoring organisation, said: "Making £1.2 billion in profit, from an income haul of £2.3 billion, out of people’s pockets and potential consumer spending is where we are now with so many English city and town councils and their unrestrained costs and fines.
“Originally, council parking charges were supposed to cover the cost of controlled and ordered provision. The benefits were to encourage shoppers and other visitors into town and city centres and stimulate commercial activity.
"On-street charges might encourage turnover of spaces and permits were supposed to protect residents’ parking from hogging by outsiders.
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“Charges were supposed to cover the cost of providing and enforcing this parking, with some profit from fines and reward for successful parking and commercial policies. Anything above that is tax.
“For too many councils the cost of parking seems to have gone from a reasonable charge to a full-on local tax. Why? Because there is next to nothing holding them back.
"They create new ways and reasons to plunder more money from people with cars, often on low incomes travelling in for work.
"Residents feel hostage to permit costs so high that households often rip up their front gardens and turn them into parking.”
But Cllr Ian Thorn, leader of Wiltshire Council, disagreed with the AA's assessment.
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Parking enforcement and on-street parking is operated on a cost-neutral basis. Any income generated is used to cover the cost of running the service. If a surplus is made this is reinvested into sustainable transport.
“Off-street parking, including car parks, does generate a surplus, and this is not used for general revenue. The law requires councils to reinvest this into transport-related services. In Wiltshire, these funds are used to support public transport, including rural bus services and park and ride.
“Parking charges are set through statutory consultation. As part of this process, the link between parking charges and support for sustainable transport is explained, so residents can give informed views.
“Each year the council publishes its parking account, which sets out the income and expenditure on parking services, including the use of any surplus.”
The council spends millions of pounds on the county's bus service.
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