Foreign embassies owe more than £143 million to Transport for London (TfL) in unpaid congestion charge fees, figures show. The US Embassy has racked up the largest bill at £14.6 million.
The Japanese embassy has the second highest debt at £10.1 million, followed by the high commission of India at £8.6 million.
Fourth on the list is Nigeria, with a bill of £8.4 million, while China makes up the top five with £7.9 million in unpaid charges.
Among all embassies, the total 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. American Embassy – £14,645,025 Embassy of Japan – £10,073,988 Office of the High Commissioner for India – £8,551,835 High Commission for the Federal Republic of Nigeria – £8,395,055 Embassy of the People’s Republic of China – £7,936,890 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.
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