President Obama has been slapped with a nearly $200 (£120) fine for not paying London’s congestion charge when his motorcade drove through the city in May, The Sun reports. London charges a toll of between $14.50 and $19.30 (£9-£12) to drive on weekdays in certain parts of the city, according to Transport for London. Cameras that the city uses to enforce the fee captured the license plate of one of the cars in the President’s motorcade, the Daily Mail reports. The other cars, including Obama’s armored Cadillac that’s nicknamed “The Beast,” escaped the fines because they were traveling so close together cameras couldn’t capture their plates. President Obama isn’t the only American government official to break the rules. According to the London Standard, the U.S. has collected over $8 million (£5 million) in unpaid congestion fees since the toll was introduced 8 years ago. The London Evening Standard reports that the city’s mayor, Boris Johnson, discussed the unpaid fees at the state dinner at Buckingham Palace. “We had a very friendly conversation,” Johnson told the Evening Standard. “Suffice to say discussions will be ongoing.” From the New York Post: The American Embassy defended its refusal to pay the charge, insisting it was “wholly in accordance” with the 1960 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. A spokesman said the treaty “prohibits the imposition of this sort of tax on diplomatic missions.” The President’s motorcade had an eventful European trip. Just days before the London trip, the “The Beast” got stuck when leaving the U.S. Embassy in Dublin. Watch “The Beast,” President Obama’s car, get stuck in Dublin:
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on July 20, 2011. Filed under News.
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Posted by
on July 20, 2011. Filed under