The United Kingdom government is seeking to recover unpaid London congestion charges from several countries, including Ghana and the United States, for debts accumulated over the past 20 years.
The Ghana High Commission in the UK owes slightly over £5 million.
According to Transport for London (TfL), the Congestion Charging Embassy’s outstanding debt accrued from 2003 to December 31, 2023.
In total, diplomatic missions owe more than £143 million to TfL for unpaid congestion charges.
The US Embassy has the largest outstanding amount at £14.6 million. The Embassy of Japan follows with over £10.1 million, while Togo owes just £40.
The figures from Transport for London (TfL) pertain to unpaid fees and fines accumulated by diplomats from the inception of the congestion charge in 2003 through the end of last year.
The congestion charge scheme imposes a £15 daily fee for driving within central London between 07:00 and 18:00 on weekdays, and between noon and 18:00 on weekends and bank holidays.
Various groups of people and vehicles, such as residents, taxis, and fully electric cars, are eligible for discounts and exemptions.
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.
“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.
“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 Foreign Office said it expects diplomats to pay the charge, adding that they believed there were no legal grounds for diplomatic exemptions.
According to the BBC, a spokesperson for the US Embassy in London 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.
“Our long-standing position is shared by many other diplomatic missions in London.”
In February 2020, then-foreign secretary Dominic Raab issued a written ministerial statement revealing that his officials had written to “a number of diplomatic missions and international organisations” to “press for payment” of money owed relating to the congestion charge, parking fines and business rates.