What goes “bang” then “cha-ching”? It’s your ordinary auto accident, except with a new twist. Depending on the area, if you are an out of town or out of county resident, or if you are at fault, you may be charged a crash tax for the services of any police, paramedics, or firemen that may show up to provide assistance or treatment. Many municipalities have started charging for these services in an attempt to work around budget and tax cuts.

But isn’t that what taxes are for? To ensure that the roads are intact, the firemen show up, and the use of the occasional helicopter for extraordinary situations. It’s one thing for a county to charge for damage to a phone pole that an insured ran into, but another to charge for providing basic humanitarian services. Some areas are charging as much as $1,000-2,000 for providing medics, firemen, and ambulance services.

Want to continue reading?
Become a Free
PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader.

INCLUDED IN A DIGITAL MEMBERSHIP:

  • All PropertyCasualty360.com news coverage, best practices, and in-depth analysis.
  • Educational webcasts, resources from industry leaders, and informative newsletters.
  • Other award-winning websites including BenefitsPRO.com and ThinkAdvisor.com.

Already have an account?


NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.

Dig Deeper

PropertyCasualty360

Join PropertyCasualty360

Don’t miss crucial news and insights you need to make informed decisions for your P&C insurance business. Join PropertyCasualty360.com now!

  • Unlimited access to PropertyCasualty360.com - your roadmap to thriving in a disrupted environment
  • Access to other award-winning ALM websites including BenefitsPRO.com, ThinkAdvisor.com and Law.com
  • Exclusive discounts on PropertyCasualty360, National Underwriter, Claims and ALM events

Already have an account? Sign In Now
Join PropertyCasualty360

Copyright © 2024 ALM Global, LLC. All Rights Reserved.