Caroline Pidgeon, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Transport Spokesperson and Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, commenting on the announcement by the US State Department, that the US Embassy in London will continue to evade paying the Congestion Charge said:
“Change might have taken place in the White House, but sadly this has not been matched at the US Embassy in London. It seems the much trumpted ‘special relationship’ with the USA is very much a one-way street.”
“All the international evidence and legal opinion clearly states that the Congestion Charge is exactly that - it is a charge not a tax and embassies cannot leave bills unpaid. Indeed let us never forget that for the first two years of its existence the US Embassy did actually pay the Congestion Charge. The US Embassy position is indefensible and an appalling example to other embassies who follow the lead of the US.”