Free public parking is a handout. I use it myself, I love it, I circle the block multiple times for a free space than pay for parking. But it is a handout.

Forcing private businesses to have parking, even if they make a business decision to not have it, is a tax on those businesses. And on all the businesses that would have been viable without that tax.

I have no issue with paid public parking. It needs to exist.

Or if we love free public services so much, we can talk about why public transport isn't free.