As Justin Ray reports for NBC 5 News, Missouri City in Texas has decided to take a “crash tax” from drivers involved in a car wreck in order to recoup costs associated with emergency response services.
The Missouri City Fire Department will be the one charging for the services – and it could be up to two-thousand dollars – and sent to the driver responsible for the accident. (Although, according to the fire chief, the fee will apparently be covered by the insurance company, and not the driver, assuming that the insurance company won’t dispute the charge.)
Missouri City has a problem with its budget, and felt that charging this fee will help it reduce the deficit and gain an annual $50,000. This isn’t the first time a city has implemented such measures, including Petaluma, Calif., which has apparently only brought in $14,000 last year from its crash tax.
Sources:
Texas City to Impose “Crash Tax” for Car Accident Help
Insult to injury? Texas town joins trend of imposing ‘crash tax’ on accident victims