AccidentTax.com is a Web site opposed to the practice of municipalities charging accident response fees when police or fire department personnel respond to a traffic accident. The role of the police and fire department should be to serve and protect not serve and collect. An additional fee for emergency services creates a hidden tax - we call it the "Accident Tax."

New York Times Blog Discusses Accident Response Fees
Share your thoughts about paying accident response fees with the New York Times.  In "Bucks: Making the Most of Your Money" writer Jennifer Saranow Schultz asks readers: "Have you come across the fees? If so, what was your experience with them? What do you think about the fees? Who do you think should pay them, if anyone?  Let her know at Bucks Blog New York Times.

California Crash Tax Web Site Goes Lives
Californians now have a new Web site for obtaining the updated information on the growing local government trend of imposing an unfair crash tax on drivers when emergency vehicles are sent to the scene of accidents, reports Sam Sorich, president of the Association of California Insurance Companies.

The site, www.calcrashtax.com/, provides visitors with an overview of the problem, the latest media reports and a Q&A section. Most importantly, the site contains special tools that allow Californians to fight back by communicating directly with local, state and federal officials - as well as newspapers in their communities.

Visitors can also sign up for periodic updates on crash tax developments.

PCI Publishes White Paper on Accident Response Fees
To help educate policymakers, consumers, the media and other interested parties the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America issued a white paper "Accident Response Fees: Say "No" to Double Taxation and Higher Insurance Premiums".

This paper provides an overview of key issues in the debate regarding accident response fees.  It also provides background on why this issue has developed and answers many of the questions at the heart of the controversy.

Budget Crunches Lead to "Back Door Accident Taxes
To offset declining governmental budgets, some local communities are seeking to build new revenue streams by instituting accident response fees that charged when police or fire fighters respond to a traffic accident. However, public safety is a basic role of government paid for by property and other local taxes. 

In those communities where accident response fees are charged, it is unwise public policy to require additional funding for first-responders when the public is already paying for these services.  Since local municipalities calculate their tax structure based on the services provided, adding charge backs as a source of revenue is a form of double taxation.  In other words, the accident response fees levied by local governments on their constituents amount to nothing more than redundant "back door" taxes. 

In the Media provides information about recent developments around the country. 

PCI Video on the Accident Tax
The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America produced a video discussing the accident tax issue in Florida and California. More >> 

CNN Reports: Victims Billed for Accidents
CNN's Gerri Willis zeros in on the "crash tax" during a report that aired June 19 and says drivers should beware.  However, in the report she notes that drivers are getting even and states are banning the practice.  More>>   

Help us warn other drivers by spreading the word about these fees. Sign up to help fight the Accident Tax!

The Fight Continues...
Across the country an increasing number of local governments are considering ordinances that allow them to TAX you indirectly by billing insurance companies when the police or fire departments respond to motor vehicle accidents.

ISN'T THAT WHAT TAXES ARE FOR?
Yeah, we thought so too.  But some local officials see this as an opportunity to increase revenues without formally raising taxes.  This could result in you being charged a second time for police or fire department services that already are covered through your state and local taxes.

STOP HIDDEN, DOUBLE TAXATION...FIGHT ACCIDENT RESPONSE FEES!
If local officials in your area are considering an "accident tax" you can help you fight back and persuade them not to pursue this bad idea.