US Embassy runs up £150,000 in upaid C charge fines

[timmy30]

I'm not sure whether to admire them or condem them, the US embassy in London is refusing to pay the C charge ever since the increase to £8 in July they've been running up 300 tickets a month.

What are we going to do send in the SAS to collect the fines from the Embassy safe? :hehe:

[TeamD]

Good on 'em, can't stand that bloody tw@t Ken. Shame a few hundred thousand Brits don't tell him to shove it up his @rse too. Just imagine the headlines!

[andy mac]

Thats all very well, but as ken said, the UK Embassy has to pay US toll charges... I'm with Ken on this... The US should pay up, regardless of whether we agree with the charges or not.

[billb]

if we have to pay theirs they should pay ours simple as that

[cotty]

Aparently other Embassy's are jumping on the band waggon and not paying, if the public do the same they will be so swamped TfL will implode

[alfaman]

The German Embassy have decided not to pay too

The internal memo advising American consular staff not to pay said "with pride" they wouldn't be paying the charge ...... no taxation without representation etc. etc. ........basically a load of politically motivated "Grand Standing" arrogant bollox ...... they should pay up like the rest of us ..... or get their Hummers towed away.

[mondeoman]

Sorry, I agree with the US on this. The charge is a TAX on travel inside the designated area - there are NO other options if you are in a car.

A toll road can be avoided easily, making it an easy consumer choice. If you are driving into central London, you will be TAXED.

So good luck to em

[cotty]

billb said:

if we have to pay theirs they should pay ours simple as that

The way I look at it the M6 is a toll road, the Dartford Bridge is a toll. The congestion charge is not a toll

[nonegreen]

We should sack all those working on the Kengestion scheme. Then we should shoot Ken.

[JMGS4]

Well done all who refuse to pay into that commie bastids cash cow. He's the highest paid, lowest efficiency cretin London has ever had, creating jobs for his slimy followers without any justification etc etc etc
Time to behead that criminal at Tyburn, I'm one who'd PAY to see that!!!

[timmy30]

Personally I think the US are right here, the embassy staff are not permanent residents of London and so why should they pay a tax which is supposedly used to pay for improvements to the infrastructure of our capital.

Also they are guests, visiting diplomats whom we have invited to our country, it seems a bit petty not to give diplomnats from all foreign embassies an exemption.

[JagLover]

JMGS4 said:

Well done all who refuse to pay into that commie bastids cash cow. He's the highest paid, lowest efficiency cretin London has ever had, creating jobs for his slimy followers without any justification etc etc etc Time to behead that criminal at Tyburn, I'm one who'd PAY to see that!!!

[andy mac]

timmy30 said:

Personally I think the US are right here, the embassy staff are not permanent residents of London and so why should they pay a tax which is supposedly used to pay for improvements to the infrastructure of our capital. Also they are guests, visiting diplomats whom we have invited to our country, it seems a bit petty not to give diplomnats from all foreign embassies an exemption.

I don't live in london, do I get away with it when I visit? Should only Londoners pay it? And as such, should our Embassies not pay US road tolls as they are not residents, etc? Its not an issue of whether its a tax, etc, but the US, and now others are attempting to get away with paying what millions of Londoners, and London visiters have to pay each day.

>> Edited by andy mac on Friday 21st October 11:57

[GT]

JMGS4 said:

Well done all who refuse to pay into that commie bastids cash cow. He's the highest paid, lowest efficiency cretin London has ever had, creating jobs for his slimy followers without any justification etc etc etc Time to behead that criminal at Tyburn, I'm one who'd PAY to see that!!!

your posts are always so left wing..

[puggit]

I believe there was a demonstration earlier this week by locals from Kensington and Chelsea. Some sort of hearse indicating the death of local businesses.

[rude girl]

timmy30 said:

Also they are guests, visiting diplomats whom we have invited to our country, it seems a bit petty not to give diplomnats from all foreign embassies an exemption.

If they get prosecuted, don't they have diplomatic immunity anyway?

There was an international lawyer talking about this on R4 yesterday. Apparently it's all down to some fine line between it being a tax and whether they receive a benefit for it. TFL argue that the benefit they get is less congestion. Lawyer seemed to think that the diplomats had the stronger case - particularly in the case of the poorer countries. What weakens the US case is that they paid up until the price went up.

[timmy30]

rude girl said:

timmy30 said: Also they are guests, visiting diplomats whom we have invited to our country, it seems a bit petty not to give diplomnats from all foreign embassies an exemption. If they get prosecuted, don't they have diplomatic immunity anyway? There was an international lawyer talking about this on R4 yesterday. Apparently it's all down to some fine line between it being a tax and whether they receive a benefit for it. TFL argue that the benefit they get is less congestion. Lawyer seemed to think that the diplomats had the stronger case - particularly in the case of the poorer countries. What weakens the US case is that they paid up until the price went up.

Yes I guess in any case they can't be prosecuted. It seems like a petty, uncessary, and frankly stupid way of attempting to sour relations with a close ally.

[YamR1,V64motion]

good on them, if it annoys Ken then im happy.

[cotty]

rude girl said:

timmy30 said: Also they are guests, visiting diplomats whom we have invited to our country, it seems a bit petty not to give diplomnats from all foreign embassies an exemption. If they get prosecuted, don't they have diplomatic immunity anyway?

I think the least they can do is kick the offending diplomat out of the country. But if all the diplomats are refusing to pay there is going to be a big problem

[timmy30]

cotty said:

I think the least they can do is kick the offending diplomat out of the country. But if all the diplomats are refusing to pay there is going to be a big problem

Anti Americanism aside, isn't that a bit of an over reaction?