Guy Winters, who delivers for Post Haste, was among about 1600 drivers across Dunedin to receive letters from the Dunedin City Council earlier this month, confirming the new $18 annual charge from July 1.
The fee would apply to each vehicle with a permit to use the city's authorised vehicle parks, which had until now been free of charge.
Mr Winters contacted the Otago Daily Times to complain, saying he worried the $18 charge was only the start of ever-increasing costs for the permits.
"It's not very much, I know, but I guarantee in five or 10 years' time it will be about $100.
"To me it's just another way they are trying to con some money out of people."
He also criticised the effectiveness of the authorised vehicles parking system, which replaced loading zones as part of controversial changes to inner-city parking introduced by the council in 2009.
Mr Winters said the older loading zones had been used regularly by only "200 to 250" drivers, but congestion had increased since the new scheme began.
"As long as you had a station wagon and you said you delivered one box once a year, they'd hand you one of these authorised parking permits.
"It's hard to get a place now."
Council parking services team leader Daphne Griffen confirmed about 1600 permits had been issued so far, but said the system was designed to ease congestion by limiting access and "works very well, in the main".
There had been a perception older loading zones were available for anyone to use, if they were loading or unloading anything.
Under the new system, drivers with permits could park for up to 20 minutes, but only while loading or unloading, she said.
Most delivery drivers followed the new rules.
Only a few "who ruin it" used the permits to park in the spaces while doing shopping, banking or running other errands, she said.
"It's not really its purpose."
Council development services manager Kevin Thompson said a $15 annual fee had been planned in 2009, but was waived while the new system was being tweaked after an outcry over the wider changes.
The department had reviewed its fees again earlier this year, as it did each year, and decided to activate the charge, as well as increase it by "the princely sum of $3 a year" to reflect rising council costs, he said.
"This is one we weren't charging and now we want to charge, because there's no reason not to, put it that way."
The $18 fee covered administration costs and was not part of the wider council cost-cutting drive, he said.
Mr Winters said most drivers he spoke to were annoyed by the charge, but Ms Griffen said she had received "very few" complaints.
"Some people might want to rethink whether they need them or not, but I don't believe it's a huge fee.
"It's gone up a dollar a year ... Maybe in 100 years he will get to $100."
