The United States Embassy in London has racked up millions of pounds worth of unpaid traffic fees, all from congestion charges, a charge introduced to ease traffic throughout the bulk of the workday.
As a result, Transport for London, a city agency dedicated to its transport network, has threatened those who haven’t paid fees with legal action at the International Court of Justice. The fee is 15 pounds every day a person drives in central London between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays and between noon and 6 p.m. on weekends.
“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,” TFL said.
The International Court of Justice resolves disputes between nations and is a “principal organ” of the United Nations.
The U.S. responded and said the traffic charge was a tax, making the embassy exempt.
“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,” a spokesperson for the embassy said.
London’s transport authority disagrees, saying 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 TFL said most embassies pay their fees, but “a stubborn minority … refuse to do so, despite our representations through diplomatic channels.”
Eight different embassies hold congestion fees worth over 5 million pounds, with the U.S., Japan, and India holding the largest debts. America’s debt, worth 14,645,025 pounds, is equivalent to about $18.5 million.
The ICJ adjudicates few cases (only 195 since 1947), which could make it unlikely for the U.K. to bring legal action against America in this instance.
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The total debt due from all embassies in London is worth 143,527,113 pounds. The three largest debts comprise about 23% of the total outstanding debt.
The International Criminal Court, similarly located in The Hague, Netherlands, recently issued arrest warrants for Hamas leaders and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.