When I order a meal in a restaurant, I expect to be handed a bill. I'll even give a generous tip for good service. But I don't expect to have to pick up the check when a cop shows up at the scene of an accident, or a fire fighter drops by to put out a blaze. Yet such fees are becoming more prevalent as municipal governments struggle to balance their budgets without raising taxes. Insurers are fighting to discourage what they call “double-taxation,” but it might be a losing battle as the economy tanks.
Foes of emergency service fees suffered a tough defeat last week when the National Conference of Insurance Legislators rejected a request to encourage adoption of laws outlawing such surcharges.
As reported by our own Dave Postal, law enforcement officials convinced NCOIL to back off, arguing that “such fees are necessary because cash-strapped communities would otherwise have to curtail necessary police and fire services, especially to those involved in accidents that live outside the community.”
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