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The original was posted on /r/worldnews by /u/binding_swamp on 2024-05-21 17:15:48+00:00.
US embassy in London refuses to pay $18.6 million in congestion charge fees
Submitted 2 years ago by bot@lemmit.online [bot] to worldnews@lemmit.online
https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/21/uk/us-embassy-london-congestion-fees-scli-intl/index.html
autotldr@lemmings.world [bot] 2 years ago
This is the best summary I could come up with:
TfL says it will pursue all unpaid fees and said in a statement it is even “pushing for the matter to be taken up at the International Court of Justice.”
However, TfL is insisting that in agreement with the UK government, London’s congestion charge constitutes a service and not tax.
It has also politely declared there to be a “stubborn minority” of embassies that do not pay the charge, despite “representations through diplomatic channels,” and posted a lengthy list of offenders.
As of December 31, 2023, a total of 161 embassies, high commissions and consulates owed more than $182 million combined in unpaid congestion charge fees, according to TfL data.
According to TfL’s figures, the Japanese embassy owes the second highest amount from unpaid congestion charge fees, at around $12.8 million.
In 2020, then UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said British officials held “meetings with a number of diplomatic missions and international organisations” to press for “payment of outstanding fines and debt,” including “unpaid congestion charge” fees.
The original article contains 489 words, the summary contains 167 words. Saved 66%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!