Foreign diplomats refusing to pay the Congestion Charge have racked up a staggering £74million in unpaid fines, it has been revealed.
Over the past ten years, a third of embassies in London have ignored the controversial charge – claiming it is a local tax they are exempt from.
Now, Transport for London (TfL) has revealed diplomats owe a whopping £74,047,592 – with the Americans being the biggest culprits.
Since 2003, the US embassy has amassed £7.8million in fines – more than ten per cent of the overall total.
They are joined at the top by the Embassy of Japan, which owes £5.4million, and the Embassy of the Russian Federation, which has accumulated more than £5million.
Other notable culprits are the High Commission for the Federal Republic of Nigeria (£4.3million) and the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany (£3.8million).
It currently costs £10 to drive inside the Congestion Zone between 7am and 6pm from Monday to Friday.
Motorists who refuse to pay the charge with 28 days are left with a costly £130 fine.
Despite repeated threats of legal action from TfL bosses, around one third of embassies continue to drive freely inside the zone.
The US embassy today said it had no intention of paying the Congestion Charge – claiming it is exempt from the charge under the 1960 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Under the convention, all diplomats are exempt from paying local taxes – despite TfL saying it is ‘a charge for a service and not a tax’.
A US Embassy spokesman said: ‘The US Embassy in London conscientiously abides by all UK laws, including paying fines for all traffic violations, such as parking and speeding violations.
‘Our position on the direct tax established by Transport for London in 2003, more commonly known as the congestion charge, is based on the 1960 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which prohibits the imposition of this sort of tax on diplomatic missions.
‘Our position is wholly in accordance with that agreement to which the United States and the United Kingdom are both signatories, and it is a position shared by many other diplomatic missions in London.’
The Congestion Charge, which brings in around £110million a year, has generated more than £1.2billion in revenue since 2003.
Around £960million of this has been spent on improving the bus network, £102million on roads and bridges and £70million on road safety.
Figures released by TfL today show the total cost of fines has rocketed by £4million in the past five months alone – an increase of £31,000 per weekday.
Paul Cowperthwaite, TfL’s General Manager for Congestion Charging said: ‘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. Around two thirds 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.’
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