Democrat state lawmakers insist they need to take more of our money to save our lives so they are pushing through new fees taxes onto our auto insurance payments.
Independent thinkers don’t believe paying more taxes will help us live longer — unless a politician is literally holding a gun to steal our wallet — which metaphorically is how the state’s Democrat-controlled government operates.
This latest tax hike that’s already passed the state House would add an additional $3 on our insurance bills as a “fee” to state government.
Their hoax portends the fee will also magically reduce our insurance payments over time, because government will use just 30% of the money collected to build a few wildlife bridges and tunnels to reduce animal impacts.
State Sen. Dylan Roberts, the bill’s sponsor, cites the Highway 9 wildlife corridor project between Silverthorne and Kremmling that cost $40 million as a solution to their problem.
And that may as well have been, but only an estimated $6 million annually of the funds collected would be dedicated to such projects.
We all want to save animals, and our vehicles.
And if animals can be lured to these safer road passages to cross without also attracting hunters to all the easy prey, it’s probably a good idea, albeit wildly expensive.
But animal collisions aren’t driving the problem of increasing auto insurance costs.
Coloradans have high rates because the state has a serious vehicle theft issue, widespread damaging weather events like snow and hail, plus the rising costs of repairs and medical bills.
The Denver Post reported just a few weeks ago that “Colorado car insurance rates among fastest rising in country and more increases expected — Auto thefts, hail claims mix with inflation to cause higher premiums.”
Also, Carol Walker with the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association had this to say to KCNC News in Denver about the reason for high rates:
She says crashes with wildlife, pedestrians and cyclists have a negligible impact on auto insurance, which is driven largely by hail and car-on-car accidents.
“It may sound like a low fee, but you start adding up all of these fees and this path that we’re on,” Walker said. “I think it’s something that insurance policy holders need to be aware of and concerned about.”
Indeed.
Remember that time our insurance costs went down because government taxed it, said nobody, ever.