File photograph: The Sri Lankan High Commission in London.
The Sri Lankan High Commission in London owes more than £666,000 in congestion charge fees, according to Britain’s Transport for London which said it was “pushing for the matter to be taken up at the International Court of Justice”.
Sri Lanka is on the list of several embassies in the UK that amassed the unpaid fees and fines from 2003 onwards. The congestion charge is a £15 daily fee that most motorists must pay to drive into central London.
“We and the UK Government are clear that the Congestion Charge is a charge for a service and not a tax,” said Transport for London (TfL). "This means that diplomats are not exempt from paying it."
According to TfL, most embassies in London do pay the charge, but it said, “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.”