London’s Congestion Charge regime has a significant debtor in the Ghana High Commission, ranking 8th among diplomatic missions with an outstanding sum of approximately £5 million.
This debt contributes to the total £143 million owed by international embassies in London, as reported by (link unavailable) in January 2024.
The Transport for London (TfL) agency, under the Mayor of London’s office, imposes the Congestion Charge, a £15 daily fee for driving within designated zones during specific times.
While embassies argue that this charge is a tax and thus exempt under the 1961 Vienna Convention, TfL maintains that it is a fee for a service and updates the list of outstanding debts every six months.
However, TfL faces challenges in recovering these debts since they cannot sue diplomatic missions, relying on the central government to take action.
The Mayor of London’s office encourages payment through annual letters to diplomatic missions with significant debts, but embassies have consistently ignored these requests since the charge’s introduction in 2003.
GhanaWeb is seeking a response from the High Commission regarding this matter. Despite the challenges, TfL continues to maintain the debt list every six months, highlighting the need for a resolution to this long-standing issue.
