Tax Equity And Financial Responsibility Acts Of 1982 And 1983 (TEFRA)
Legislation that redefined life insurance and raised taxes on life insurance companies. Among the provisions were new rules for some life insurance products, including a definition of flexible premium life insurance, and an increase in life insurance company taxes. Congress was concerned that a policyholder could take a substantial amount, say $1 million, and, after putting a few dollars toward a life insurance premium, put the remainder into a tax-free investment vehicle. One of two tests had to be satisfied for a policy to qualify as life insurance: the cash surrender value policy could not exceed a net single premium, and the death benefit had to represent a certain percentage of the cash value, which declined as the policy-holder got older. For example, at age 40, the death benefit must be 140% of cash value. The second rule closed a loophole on tax-free withdrawals from annuities. Prior to 1982 annuity holders could withdraw their initial premium tax free at any time. The 1982 code decreed that any money withdrawn from an annuity would be considered income first and would therefore be taxable. The older 1959 tax code devised a shorthand formula for determining taxes paid by insurers. The formula worked when interest rates were low, but as they soared, insurers found ways to reduce the increased tax bite. The 1982 code introduced a stopgap measure designed to raise taxes on life insurers by $3 billion.
Popular Insurance Terms
Same as term Adjuster: individual employed by a property and casualty insurance company to settle on its behalf claims brought by insureds. The adjuster evaluates the merits of each claim ...
Includes rate of return, how long the annuity's interest rate is guaranteed, loads (front, middle and back), financial ranking of the insurance company offering the annuity, the monthly ...
Denial of coverage for damage, in inland marine insurance, stemming from routine use of the property. Property can be expected to deteriorate somewhat over time from normal use. This is not ...
Legal right of a passenger in an automobile involved in an accident to bring a liability suit against the driver. It is deemed that a special standard of care is owed by an automobile ...
Element used to adjust losses to reflect the incurred but not reported claim (IBNR) under the retrospective method of rating. ...
Coverage by at least two insurance policies providing the same coverage for the same risk. ...
Division of a sum of money between a deferred annuity and an immediate life annuity certain. ...
In property insurance policy, clause that stipulates that if legislative acts or acts of the insurance commissioner's office expand the coverage of an insurance policy or endorsement forms ...
Section of some inland marine insurance {transportation insurance) and many other property insurance policies excluding coverage for damage to shipped goods by vermin such as rats. ...
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