- Diplomats owe £143.5m in London congestion charges
- US embassy owes £14.6m, claims exemption
- TfL insists congestion charge is a service fee
The total unpaid fees and penalties that diplomats have accumulated between the start of the congestion charge in London in 2003 and the end of last year is £143.5m across all embassies.
The US embassy in London is currently in debt for £14.6 million in unpaid congestion charge fees, according to records.
Transport for London (TfL) has disclosed the sum of unpaid fees and penalties accumulated by all embassies in the capital.
According to the statistics, the Indian high commission has the second-highest debt, at £8.6m, followed by the Japanese embassy, at £10.1m.
The Embassy of the Republic of Togo, located in central Africa, is recorded at the bottom of the list with a £40 charge.
The total unpaid fees and penalties that diplomats have accumulated between the start of the congestion charge in London in 2003 and the end of last year is £143.5m across all embassies.
In an official statement, TfL stated, “The congestion charge is a service charge, not a tax, as we and the UK government are certain.
Diplomats are not exempt from having to pay this fee.
The majority of embassies in London do pay the levy, according to the statement. However, a stubborn minority continue to refuse to do so, despite our diplomatic representations.
TfL stated that it will persist in its efforts to secure payment for all outstanding congestion charge fees and associated penalty charge notices. Additionally, it is advocating for the matter to be addressed by the International Court of Justice.
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The United States Embassy in London relocated from Grosvenor Square to Nine Elms in January 2018.
The US embassy’s spokesperson stated, “Our stance is that the congestion charge is a tax from which diplomatic missions are exempt, as stated in the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, in accordance with international law.
Numerous diplomatic missions in London share our long-standing stance.
Dominic Raab, the former foreign secretary, released a written ministerial statement in February 2020 that disclosed his officials had written to “a number of diplomatic missions and international organizations” to “press for payment” of the money owed regarding the congestion charge, parking fines, and business rates.
On weekdays, the congestion charge scheme imposes a daily levy of £15 for driving within a designated area of central London from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and from noon to 6 p.m. on weekends and bank holidays.
Some individuals and vehicles, including residents, taxis, and entirely electric cars, are eligible for discounts and exemptions.
