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 The 1982 code decreed that any money withdrawn from an annuity would be considered income first and would therefore be taxable.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
In life insurance, action by an insurance company canceling premium payments by an insured who has been disabled for at least six months. The policy remains in force and continues to build ...
Portion of reinsurance premium received by the reinsurer that relates to the unexpired part of the reinsured policy. ...
Form of state rating legislation that allows each property/liability insurer to choose between using rates set by a bureau or its own rates. Individual states regulate insurers and approve ...
Will written totally in the handwriting of that individual whose name appears on the will. ...
Provision that excludes from coverage under Form No. 3: flood damage, except if the flood causes a fire, explosion, or theft; water damage from the backup of sewers; earthquake, except if ...
Same as term: engineering approach; human approach ...
In some life insurance policies, provision that permits the beneficiary, upon the death of the insured, to receive not only the death benefit payable under the policy but also all premiums ...
Mortality table that is a picture of the actual living and/or dying of the population (the universe) upon which the mortality table is based. No additions or subtractions are made to these ...
Expense listed on the Income and Expenditure accounting statement for the unexpired insurance policy owned. ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.