Seguros y pensiones para todos

Rise in the IPS. Do you know what it is?

The new year is bringing with it a rise in the Insurance Premium Tax (IPS). Here we explain what it means and how it will affect you

Home > Blog > Rise in the IPS. Do you know what it is?

01.Feb.2021

The new year is bringing with it a rise in the Insurance Premium Tax (IPS). Here we explain what it means and how it will affect you.

The price of your insurance policy – home, car, funerals, etc. – is made up of three parts. First of all, the net premium; this is the price stipulated by the insurance company that assumes the risk to be covered. Secondly, the Insurance Compensation Consortium rate (the public body that reports to the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness) that covers extraordinary risk situations. And finally, the Insurance Premium Tax (IPS): an indirect tax that is collected at the time the premium is paid, either in installments or in a single payment.

A significant increase

On January 1, a 2% increase in the IPS went into effect, going from 6% to 8% and affecting car, home, community of owners, death, legal defense and civil liability policies. The insurance sector does not agree with this decision. UNESPA, the sector’s employers’ association, has repeatedly repudiated this increase, describing it as “disproportionate and lacking justification”, in the words of its president, who believes that this price increase may lead to reduced protection for families and companies and, consequently, greater exposure to risk.

In line with Europe

But how can the government justify this rise? Basically through two arguments: this tax rate has not changed since 1998 and it is lower than in other European countries. In Germany, for example, this rate stands at 19%, in the United Kingdom at 12.5%, and in Italy between 12.5% and 21.5%.

How will this affect consumers?

How much money are we talking about? An increase in a family’s average insurance bill of between 28 and 30 euros per year. According to the Family Budget Survey, 95% of families have some form of insurance policy, the most common being automobile (79%), home (74%) and death (45%). Likewise, companies that have taken out insurance liable for this charge will also be affected.

An unequal impact

Who is going to bear the brunt of this rise? Insured parties or insurers? UNESPA says that this will depend on the commercial policies of the insurance companies: “each one will have their own policy, and to the extent that they will try to mitigate the impact on their clients.” The impact of this measure has been valued by the Government at about 455 million euros, which represents an increase of almost 25 percent in revenue from this tax.

You may also like…

The innovation revolution in insurance

The innovation revolution in insurance

And this sector is one of the most capable when it comes to using the advantages offered by new information technologies: better knowledge of the customer, greater personalization to offer them the products they really need, budgets adapted to user behavior patterns,...

The art of protecting art

The art of protecting art

Very wide-ranging cover To protect the artwork and collecting sector, there are specific insurance policies. Their purpose is to compensate for any damage caused, either by repairing the work of art or by compensating for the loss. These policies have very broad...

Legal defense insurance: lawyers to the rescue

Legal defense insurance: lawyers to the rescue

Signing an employment contract, buying a plane ticket, renting out our home or shopping on the Internet, among many other daily activities, can lead to a conflict of interests that most people do not have the appropriate knowledge or training to resolve successfully....

It is now possible to insure your cryptocurrency investment

It is now possible to insure your cryptocurrency investment

Volatile currency But why is this type of currency riskier? Firstly, because these currencies are particularly volatile and there is a high level of speculation in the market where they operate. This means that the people who invest in them can potentially make a lot...

Insurtech: from a trend to a booming reality

Insurtech: from a trend to a booming reality

Predicting risk All these technologies have generated a huge and continuous stream of connections and information that allows insurance companies to analyze our parameters related to health, driving, travel, home maintenance, and so on. Thanks to the predictive...

Children and money: should they get an allowance?

Children and money: should they get an allowance?

And it is normal to worry about this. Some people want to wait until their children are older to teach them everything to do with money, others believe that these skills related to their financial intelligence should be enhanced from an early age and, of course, there...