The UK Transport for London (TfL), a local government body responsible for most of the transport network in the United Kingdom’s capital city, has revealed that the Nigerian Embassy in London owes congestion charges totaling £8,395,055.
The Nigerian Embassy, which ranked fourth among UK’s 48 foreign debtors in a list of “stubborn minority” debtors released, has been asked to pay up its embassy congestion charge, which has been unpaid since 2003.
Congestion charges are fees levied on drivers for entering a specific central zone of the city during some hours. The aim is to reduce traffic congestion by discouraging unnecessary car use.
The American embassy ranked first in the list of debtors owing nearly £15 million, which is 10.3 per cent of the total sum of £143,527,113 owed by 48 countries, followed by Japan, which owes £10 million, making it 7 per cent and the High Commission for India, £8.5 million, which is 6.0 per cent and that of Nigeria is 5.9 per cent.
The congestion charge, according to TfL, “is a charge for a service and not a tax,” and “diplomats are not exempted from paying it.”
The UK government said it was pushing to escalate the matter to the International Court of Justice to ensure offending nations get penalised should they refuse to pay.
“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 stated.
