There are calls for a review of parking charges following revelations by The Courier about the money collected.
Council parking meters operated by Perth and Kinross, Fife and Dundee councils have collected more than £8 million since 2011.
In Dundee alone more than £2.5m was spent by members of the public parking cars.
The revelations come as Angus Council, which does not charge for parking at all, is set to debate whether to introduce charges.
Council chiefs have been urged to resist introducing parking charges in Angus or risk further damage to the county’s high streets.
North East MSP Alex Johnstone said bringing in parking charges for the first time in two decades would be “short-sighted and counter-productive”.
Free parking in Angus has been a status long praised by councillors who in the past have acknowledged its tourism benefits.
In Dundee, a BID (business improvement district) plan is examining ways of improving parking conditions in an attempt to bring more life into the city.
BID consultant Neil Cooney says action is needed to create more of a balance between parking in the city centre and at retail parks. Among the ideas being looked at is free parking.
Mr Cooney said: “We’ve done the surveys and the research and parking is an important issue. It is perceived to be restrictive so we need to do what we can to change that.
“Competing with Gallagher Retail Park, which offers two hours’ free parking, needs to be looked at. In Falkirk, they have a scheme called Free After Three, which offers free town centre parking after 3pm.
“In Edinburgh, they have Alive after Five which is the same idea.”
Perth and Kinross Council collected more than £3.2m and Fife Council raked in £2.7m in the last four years.
Perth City councillor Alexander Stewart put his weight behind a recent motion calling for the council to make parking free on a Saturday.
He said: “Those proposals could have given a shot in the arm to the economy not just of the city of Perth but the whole of Perth and Kinross.
“Free parking supports local retailers. It’s a complete waste of time to charge for parking, and it doesn’t help the economy.”
Ross Graham, vice-president of Perth and Kinross Chamber of Commerce, said traders can see both sides of the argument.
He said: “Sometimes people can loiter if there’s no penalty, a charge can keep people moving, but it’s absolutely true that it’s a hard time for retailers and charging people to go looking could put some people off.”
However, Chick Grant, spokesman for the Arbroath Town Centre Retailers Association, said free parking brings its own issues.
“Parking is a real problem in Angus, because it’s completely unenforced,” he said.
“All-day parking is an endemic problem and I can see parking charges would have the effect of keeping people moving.”