Even as India concluded a commerce cope with the United Kingdom, Indian diplomatic autos have racked up virtually £10 million (₹115.8 crore) in unpaid dues and penalties for London’s congestion charge, a £15 day by day payment relevant to all autos driving in components of the British capital. At final rely, in November 2024, in keeping with a Parliamentary assertion, Indian diplomatic autos owed £9,141,875 in penalty charge notices.
“We have been clear that the Congestion Charge is a charge for a service and not a form of tax that diplomats are exempt from paying,” Transport for London chief buyer and technique officer Alex Williams mentioned in a letter to Indian High Commissioner Vikram Kumar Doraiswami final August. The letter was offered to The Hindu in response to a request below the U.Okay.’s Freedom of Information Act, 2000.
While many diplomatic missions in London pay the payment, India, the U.S., and Japan have deemed the charge a tax, which diplomats are immune from paying below Article 34 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
In a subsequent letter in November, Mr. Williams mentioned that “there are no legal grounds to exempt diplomatic missions and international organisations from the Congestion Charge, which [the U.K. Foreign Office views] as comparable to a parking fee or toll charge that they are required to pay.” TfL mentioned in response to the FOI request that the Indian excessive fee has not responded to the letter. The Ministry of External Affairs didn’t reply to a question on the letters.
Aside from this, the U.Okay. additionally expenses so-called National Non-Domestic Rates from business properties and diplomatic missions. As of November, India had an excellent NNDR helpful cost of £99,385. Unpaid parking fines have been additionally recorded that amounted to £13,964. This info was offered to the U.Okay. Parliament by Catherine West, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Indo-Pacific.
While the charges have been reiterated by diplomatic channels, they haven’t introduced a severe impediment to U.Okay.–India commerce talks, which concluded with the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement that was signed on July 24.
