A second petition against rises in Insurance Premium Tax from the Association of Medical Insurers and Intermediaries (AMII) has been put on hold because of the organisation’s concerns that the Government will not survive for long enough to hear the issue debated.
A statement from AMII says a second IPT petition has been postponed until it feels ‘confident in the longevity of Government’.
The association’s first IPT Petition, launched in March, was brought to an early close as a result of the dissolution of Parliament in preparation for the General Election, and subsequently all votes cast were lost.
AMII chairman Stuart Scullion says: “The AMII Executive Committee has taken some time to reflect upon the relaunch of the IPT Petition.
“Since Parliament was dissolved, we have consulted with political commentators to establish how they see the political landscape evolving. This is significant, because if we were to begin a second petition now, we would have a period of six months from launch to achieve the 100,000 signatures required to see IPT debated in Parliament.
“Importantly, we would not be able to re-commence a second Petition until Parliament has re-established the Parliamentary Committee who oversee and approve government petitions. However, having also consulted with our Intermediary and Corporate Members, as well as Intermediaries and Providers who are not currently AMII members, the consensus is that there is too much political uncertainty.
“The AMII Executive Committee has subsequently decided to defer the launch of any second IPT Petition until we are more confident in the longevity of Government, particularly as there is a distinct possibility of a leadership challenge in the Conservative Party after the Summer Recess, with a possible second General Election likely within the six-month period.
“In the meantime, we will continue to lobby the Government and interested industry parties on the negative impact of increasing IPT on both the NHS and private sectors.
“We consider the IPT Petition to be an industry-wide issue – AMII is merely the representative of all stakeholders who are affected, including, and not least, the consumer.”