President Obama's cavalcade fined in London
With a view to de-congest London, a car congestion charge is levied on cars entering London. The US President's cavalcade did not pay this as diplomats and heads of state have diplomatic immunity and are exempted from paying taxes.
THE STATE drive of the President of the United States in London, capital of the United Kingdom was so majestic that every citizen of UK was visibly impressed. President Obama was on a state visit to the United Kingdom at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II. Suddenly there was a flurry of activity - papers were shuffled, rule books taken out, consulted and quoted.
Something had gone wrong somewhere. The officer in-charge Protocol or the Chief of Staff, the White House had not paid the car congestion charge of GBP 10.00 per car to the Mayor of London. Boris Johnson, the Lord Mayor (that is how he is addressed) was reluctant to wave the car congestion charge on the Obama convoy of a number of cars. Besides the normal charge of ten pounds per car, Boris Johnson contemplated to levy a fine for not having paid the levy before those cars hit the London roads.
Anyway, the State Department of the United States of America that deals with the department of Foreign Affairs was not amused. They quoted the rule book on the subject. The Vienna Convention 1960 exempts all diplomats and other members of the embassy staff who enjoy diplomatic immunity from paying any type of tax to the government or a local body of the country they are posted to. The car congestion charge is a kind of tax levied on cars to decongest London.
Since the diplomat’s car is exempt from paying any kind of taxes, they should not be charged the car congestion tax either.
The department for Transport for London has meanwhile indicated that they do not contemplate any change in their policy of levying car congestion charge even on diplomatic cars that have car plates indicating their diplomatic status.
The Lord Mayor of London had raised this point with President Obama when they met at the State Banquet in the Buckingham Palace that evening. The issue was just broached and allowed to rest at that. It is understood that a protracted correspondence between the two friendly countries is in the offing.
Meanwhile when the dignitaries meet at the next official cocktails, they will just clink the wine glasses and say, Cheers!
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