London claims £1.6 mln in congestion charge fees from the Greek embassy
London clams some £1.6 million in unpaid congestion charge fees from the Greek embassy, new figures have shown.
Statistics published by Transport for London (TfL) revealed that the Greek embassy ranks 24th in the list of embassies owing the most in unpaid charges in the British capital and sixth among the European Union countries.
The US embassy topped the list, with £14.6 million in unpaid charges, followed by the Japanese embassy (£10.1 million) and the high commission of India (£8.6 million).
Among the EU countries, Poland owes £5.2 million, followed by Germany (£4.6 million), France £2.5 million), Spain (£2.1 million) and Romania (£1.8 million).
The Cyprus high commission owes £1.4 million.
Among all 161 embassies listed, the total is £143.5 million.
Under the congestion charge, which was launched in 2003, motorists must pay a £15 daily fee to drive in central London between specific hours on weekdays, weekends and bank holidays.
The unpaid congestion charges by embassies have been accrued since 2003 to the end of last year.
British authorities say that embassies are obliged to pay the congestion charge as it is a service and not a tax, from which diplomatic missions are exempt.
“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,” said Transport for London.
