Car insurance hike likely as minister gets his way

As 26 Polish insurance companies earned altogether only zł.70.4 million last year and treatments costs are estimated at zł.325 million, it is very probable that the burden will be passed on to drivers. Therefore, premiums are expected to rise by about 6% on average. The president of the Polish Chamber of Insurers, Tomasz Mintoft-Czyż is going to discuss the issue with the Health Minister. Yet another idea of abolishing cash payments to to repair crash damaged vehicles and replacing them with cashless dealings based on invoices from authorized garages may increase premiums by another 5.4%. The estimates do not account for the predicted increase in the price of spare parts, should the idea be enforced. (Puls Biznesu, p.12) J.L.