The Maltese High Commission in London owes over £700,000 in unpaid traffic charges, the United States tops the list with £14 million
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The Maltese High Commission in London has racked up more than £700,00 in unpaid traffic charges, though this is far from the most among the embassies and diplomatic missions in London, official figures show.
Topping the list is the United States with more than £14 million in unpaid traffic charges, the most of any embassy in the U.K. capital.
The Maltese High Commission in total has a bill of £722,915 in unpaid traffic charges. On the other hand the least amount owed is by the Embassy of the Republic of Togo, a meagre £40.
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.
A freedom of information release by Transport for London (TfL), responsible for the transport network in the city, found that the American embassy had accumulated debts of £14.6 million over 20 years, when the capital’s congestion charge was brought in.
London’s congestion charge was introduced to ease traffic in the busy city. It’s a daily fee that applies to most vehicles between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays and 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at weekends.
See full list issued by Transport for London (TfL) HERE
TfL said in a statement that while most embassies in London pay their fees “a stubborn minority … refuse to do so, despite our representations through diplomatic channels.”
It added: “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.”
The Japanese Embassy was second on the list, owing more than £10 million, while the Indian High Commission owed £8.5 million. Among all embassies, the total unpaid figure from 2003 to December last year was £143.5 million.
A spokesperson for the U.S. embassy said: “In accordance with international law as reflected in the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, our position is that the congestion charge is a tax from which diplomatic missions are exempt.”
That’s a position disputed by the London transport body, which said “the congestion charge is a charge for a service and not a tax. This means that diplomats are not exempt from paying it.”
