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Not content with a 58% increase in Insurance Premium Tax last November,

the Chancellor is increasing it again by ‘just’ 0.5% to 10%, although at least the increase doesn’t take effect until November 2016. Let’s hope he doesn’t have an annual increase in mind.

Whirlpool are still receiving bad press about their defective dishwashers and have lost a class action led by a victim that suffered a fire 6 years ago. They will have to recall around 1.3 million machines which could take up to a year.  The worry is whether they should be used during this period and if they are and cause a fire, will you be insured. Whirlpool have apparently suggested they should only be used whilst supervised, a view not shared by Electrical Safety First who doubt most people will be able to deal with a fire if it occurred.

It has also been suggested that owners contact their insurers to check they will be covered if they use the faulty machines and they were to cause a fire. All insurance policies require you to take reasonable precautions to prevent a loss, so if you ask about using a machine with a known fault that may cause a fire, guess what they will say?