UK Foreign Office says diplomats from other countries owe millions in unpaid fines

Diplomats owe UK millions in fines

LONDON — Diplomats posted in Britain owe more than 27 million pounds ($44 million) in unpaid parking tickets, traffic fines and fees for driving in London’s so-called congestion zone, the government said Thursday.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband issued the figures in a written statement to lawmakers.

They reveal the U.S. owes almost 3 million pounds ($4.9 million) — more than any other country — in unpaid congestion charge fees. The charge is a daily tariff of 8 pounds ($13) levied on cars that drive through central London during business hours.

Since 2005 U.S. diplomats have refused to pay the charge, claiming it is a tax, from which diplomats are exempt, rather than a toll.

In 2006, the tiff sparked strong words from then-London Mayor Ken Livingstone, who called Robert Tuttle, the U.S. ambassador at the time, “a chiseling little crook” over his refusal to pay.

Kazakhstan has 528 fines for outstanding parking tickets and other minor traffic violations, more than any other country.

The Foreign Office says 10 crimes were allegedly committed in Britain last year by people with diplomatic immunity. They included drunk driving and shoplifting.