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SL UK Mission has unpaid charges worth £ 371,003

25 December 2018 12:10 am - 10     - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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The Sri Lankan High Commission in the UK has unpaid congestion charges and outstanding National Non-Domestic Rates (NNDR) worth pound sterling (£) 371,003, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Jeremy Hunt said. 

In a written statement to the UK Parliament last Tuesday, Mr. Hunt said they have held meetings with diplomatic missions and international organisations about outstanding parking fine debts, outstanding NNDR payments and unpaid congestion charge debt. 

He said Foreign and Cmmonwealth Affairs (FCO) officials also press diplomatic missions and international organisations to pay outstanding fines and debts. “The majority of diplomatic missions in the UK pay the NNDR due from them. 

Diplomatic missions and international organisations are obliged to pay only 6% of the total NNDR value of their offices. This represents payment for specific services received such as street cleaning and street lighting. 

As at September 20, 2018, the total amount of outstanding NNDR payments owed by foreign diplomatic missions and international organisations due before 31 December 2017 is £ 1,507,576,” the statement said. 

Accordingly, the Sri Lankan High Commission has an outstanding NNDR payment of £ 26,278 and £ 344,725 as unpaid congestion charges. 

It was reported that the value of unpaid congestion charge debt incurred by diplomatic missions and international organisations in London was £ 110,069,300. According to the statement, the US Embassy has an outstanding payment of £ 11,925,920 as congestion charges, Embassy of Japan £ 8,021,190, Nigerian High Commission £ 6,724,405, Russian Embassy £ 5,653,955, Indian High Commission £ 5,394,580, German Embassy £ 4,288,680 and the Chinese Embassy £ 4,337,295. (Lahiru Pothmulla)


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  • James peris Tuesday, 25 December 2018 03:02 AM

    Sri Lanka were the Devine religion Buddhism is paramount does not need to pay any fines in European countries - according to the Maha sanga. The European countries should pay for the expenses incurred by Sri Lanka in having their diplomatic presence in their countries.

    sachith Tuesday, 25 December 2018 01:11 PM

    What is the relationship between Buddhism and these overdue payments?

    Rupert Vanderkoon Tuesday, 25 December 2018 01:13 PM

    What a pathetic comment that is! You can hate buddhism and its protectors but you can also ask if you don't understand the role of missions, without heeding to religious hatred. Diplomacy is not there for rich countries to benefit, quite the contrary, the process should help the poor countries. For example, if Britosh embassy pays no congestions charges or council tax in Colombo, Britain has no right to demand their extortionate domestic rates from SL embassy, effectively from the poor Sri Lankans. it is the duty of the host country to facilitate foreign missions. US embassy never pays these dues and said so in public some long time ago, so why do we pay them? The only criticism that can be levelled against SL embassy is, that as the embassy is a political showpiece, it doesn't have to be in the current posh location. They could move out of central London to a much cheaper location. That'll save millions of rupees for the country immediately as well as in the long run. As Britain has phased out their embassy in Colombo, which is now host only the Ambassador for political meddling and their MI5 officers, there isn't any point in holding onto massive diplomatic ties anyway.

    gammini Tuesday, 25 December 2018 03:36 AM

    Compared to what Britain did to Sri Lanka for nearly 150 years, while running this country as their own,looting,robbing,killing,and using human labour, what Sri Lankan mission in London owes to them is not just minuscule but zero.

    bo Tuesday, 25 December 2018 06:39 AM

    And how much the Americans nd French. Hve they clean slates?

    Jack Tuesday, 25 December 2018 07:32 AM

    May be the SL diplomat deposite that money in Swiss bank?

    ravin Tuesday, 25 December 2018 08:27 AM

    It appears its a norm of rich countries to be on debt.

    Jude Tuesday, 25 December 2018 12:18 PM

    Consider as Bad Debts !!!

    Lononer Tuesday, 25 December 2018 04:27 PM

    Americans told the British to get lost when they asked them to pay the charges. We must do the same.

    Ama Thursday, 27 December 2018 02:23 PM

    Sri Lankan embassy should be moved form expensive central London to cheap are in London. It will be easy to reach and less expensive commute and park.


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