By Kayode Ogunbunmi
Transport for London (TfL) is owed more than £143 million in unpaid congestion zone fees and fines by international embassies, a statement by the company has revealed.
The US embassy owes the UK capital’s transport body the highest debt of £14.6 million, while the African country of Togo only has an outstanding debt of £40.
TfL said it is looking to take up the matter of unpaid fees with the International Court of Justice.
The Japanese embassy has the second highest debt at £10.1 million, followed by the high commission of India at £8.6 million.
The Nigerian High Commission comes fourth, with a debt of £8.3 million.
Among all embassies, the total debt owed Tfl is £143.5 million.
The figures relate to unpaid fees and fines accrued by diplomats between the launch of the congestion charge in 2003 and the end of last year.
The scheme involves a £15 daily fee for driving within an area of central London between 7am and 6pm on weekdays, and between noon and 6pm on weekends and bank holidays.
There are discounts and exemptions for various groups of people and vehicles, such as residents, taxis and fully electric cars.
TfL said in a statement: “We and the UK Government are clear that the congestion charge is a charge for a service and not a tax.
“This means that diplomats are not exempt from paying it.
“The majority of embassies in London do pay the charge, but there remains a stubborn minority who refuse to do so, despite our representations through diplomatic channels.“We will continue to pursue all unpaid congestion charge fees and related penalty charge notices, and are pushing for the matter to be taken up at the International Court of Justice.”
In February 2020, then-UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab issued a written ministerial statement revealing that his officials have written to “a number of diplomatic missions and international organisations” to “press for payment” of money owed relating to the congestion charge, parking fines and business rates.
The Mayor of London, in an answer to the charges, also said;
My position has always been clear on this matter, that the Congestion Charge is a charge for a service and not a tax. This means that diplomats are not exempt from paying it. Around two thirds of embassies in London do pay the charge, but despite our consistent and repeated representations through diplomatic channels, there remains a minority who refuse to do so.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), Transport for London and I all continue to pursue unpaid Congestion Charge fees and related penalty charge notices.
Following the latest legal advice, we are pushing for the matter to the International Court of Justice. This requires Government support and has been raised with the FCO, who are considering this matter.
TfL regularly publishes a table showing outstanding debt by embassies and diplomatic missions, which can be accessed via the Finance, Operations and Performance link on the following webpage: http://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/congestion-charge.
Previous versions of this report listed embassies with an outstanding debt greater than £100,000; however the latest version contains details of all embassies which owe unpaid charges.
