With rumors of the government increasing Insurance Premium Tax again, we sent an open letter to our MP, Mims Davies. Continually increasing the tax on socially positive motor & home insurance acts as a disincentive to buy, hits the poorest hardest & shouldn’t be a cash cow for the Treasury:
Mims Davies
The House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA
October 2018
Dear Mims Davies MP
Airsports Insurance Bureau is a firm that provides insurance in your constituency. Our firm helps to arrange insurance for business and consumers throughout the area and in our capacity as agent of the customer; we act in the best interests of insurance buyers, finding them the best policy for their needs.
We are greatly concerned by the sudden and sharp increases in Insurance Premium Tax that have happened since November 2015 – doubling the rate from 6% to 12%. Further, the Chancellor has indicated that further increases are not only possible – but are likely.
Insurance Premium Tax was introduced in 1993. Before this, the purchase of insurance attracted no tax. Insurance allows people to take responsibility for themselves and their assets, and actually reduces the burden on the state should things go wrong.
Our trade body, The British Insurance Brokers’ Association, has made a comprehensive representation to HM Treasury, calling for a freeze in the rate of Insurance Premium Tax: https://bit.ly/2xWD7p3
As a regressive tax, Insurance Premium Tax penalises those who pay more for their insurance. This includes groups such as young drivers and communities in flood risk areas. For example, the tax contribution for a £1,500 young driver’s policy has increased from £90 to £180 in the last 24 months alone. With young drivers more likely to drive without insurance, any further increases are likely to have an impact on the number of uninsured drivers on the UK’s roads.
HMRC’s policy objective IPT01300 states “that IPT should make the required contribution to UK Government revenue while minimising the effect on the take up of insurance”. It is clear such significant increases are indeed likely to be to the detriment of uptake.
In your capacity as our local MP, I would be very grateful if you could take up this issue with the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Mel Stride ahead of the Budget this month, calling for a freeze in any further increases for the term of this Parliament.
Yours sincerely,
Airsports Insurance Bureau
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