City of Hamilton fees to the tune of $2,500 to mount the MarketPlace’s annual Santa Claus Parade were met with cries of ‘foul’ from the general public yeesterday but the cash-strapped Corporation of Hamilton said it cannot afford to waive the fee.Ed Benevides, chief operating officer and secretary to the City of Hamilton said the cost of mounting the popular parade: “... is not just a fee”.He said: “Every event in the City of Hamilton requires certain services.“If any organisation is putting on an event, we pass the costs on to them. We can apply a waiving of fees as a form of sponsorship, and we have done that from time to time. But it’s just unfortunate that this time we can’t afford to waive it.”The Santa Claus Parade has always required the City to spend money, and they have sponsored it in the past.“But we are unable to waive it this time; it’s just a reality of the financial situation.“The event is on a Sunday, so the employees of the City are on double time to set up and break down the event,” he said. Staff put out and then collect barricades around the city streets, as well as collect trash afterwardsWhile the City of Hamilton did lose income after amendments to the Muncipalities Act saw it lose wharfage fees, Mr Benevides said that was just one of many reductions in income.Parking in Hamilton has dropped, so parking fees have as well.The decrease in use of office space has also seen Corporation taxes decline, as has a drop in construction permit fees as the construction industry has gone from boom to bust.Another blow came yesterday when members of the Corporationere officially informed they had lost a tenant as a result of the closure of AS Cooper & Sons Ltd. store Harbourside at Pier 6 at Number Six Shed.“That is a loss of income and tax revenue,” Mr Benevides said.