Diplomats snub congestion charge

[AtW]

Diplomats snub congestion charge

Press Association
Tuesday October 18, 2005 9:03 PM

A diplomatic incident has broken out over US and German embassy staff refusing to pay the London congestion charge.

Diplomats at both embassies have been instructed not to pay the £8 daily charge as it is believed to be an illegal tax under international law.

But the office for London's Mayor Ken Livingstone said embassy staff were breaking the law by not paying up.

A US embassy spokeswoman said: "We consider it a tax and it is the view of the US Government that all direct taxes on diplomats, including this one, are prohibited by the Vienna Convention."

The decision to stop paying the charge was taken in spring but non-payment began July 1, she added.

The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961, which assures diplomatic immunity, exempts diplomats from paying national, regional and local taxes.

A German Embassy spokesman said: "We received a memo from Berlin several months ago which explained that the congestion charge is considered to be a tax and therefore diplomats are exempt."

He added it was only diplomatic staff with embassy vehicles who were not paying the tax. British staff with private cars pay.

But a spokesman for the Mayor said: "The congestion charge is not a tax. It is a charge for a service. (AtW: what fking service - do you wash car wheels while they drive through?)

"All staff at the American embassy should pay the congestion charge, in the same way as British officials pay road tolls in the United States. To refuse to do so in either case is to break the law of the host country." (AtW: retard does not know the difference between tax and private toll.)

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Good job USA!

[voron]

AtW: retard does not know the difference between tax and private tool.

On the contrary, he seems to know his tool a little too well.

[Mailman]

This is too funny actually

Everyone knows the congestion charge is a tax. The funny thing is though if they are trying to pass this off as a payment for service, just what is the service we are using?

If they say its the service of using the roads then what the hell are we paying road taxes for!?!?!?!

Hope the Yanks and Krauts dont pay up!

Mailman

[Rebecca Loos]

If they say its the service of using the roads then what the hell are we paying road taxes for!?!?!?!

For the public sector pensions?

Rebecca in "next question please!" mode

[PRC1964]

This is a complete non story. Diplomats have for years been disregarding speeding fines/parking tickets etc.

It's a perk of the job.

[Rebecca Loos]

actually Mailman, I was thinking, if UK diplomats pay toll charges on US roads, then US diplomats should pay the congestion charge. After all, the only difference between the 2 is that there is no physical toll on UK roads. But in principle, it is the same thing. Do not assume that because the collection method is different, they are different charge types.

Rebecca in "can't believe I agree with Ken this time" mode

[Bagpuss]

This is a complete non story. Diplomats have for years been disregarding speeding fines/parking tickets etc.

It's a perk of the job.

I found out the other day there is no such thing as a parking fine, just a standard charge e.g. if you pay and display you get a discount on the standard charge which is issued if you don't pay and display. It's a crafty way to bend the law, apparently they can't lawfully fine you for non payment.

[swamp]

A toll implies there is another (longer/slower) route, and the charge is one of convenience rather than access. E.g. M6 toll, Severn Bridge toll, French toll roads vs Route Nationale etc.

However not all tolls are truely tolls, such as the Skye Bridge toll which is a tax because there is no other way round. So whilst the Congestion Charge is a toll, it is really a tax.

[steve'O]

This is a complete non story. Diplomats have for years been disregarding speeding fines/parking tickets etc.

It's a perk of the job.

Perk of the job MY ARSE! Would you say that about The murder of Policewoman Yvonne Fletcher in London during 1984??

[PRC1964]

I never said I agreed with it. It is just something that happens. There is almost nothing we can do about it. The most the government can realistically do is expel the diplomat involved, which would then simply lead to our diplomats being expelled from their country.

The concept of diplomatic immunity goes back thousands of years, but was mosty recently ratified by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations in 1961.