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 The 1982 code decreed that any money withdrawn from an annuity would be considered income first and would therefore be taxable.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
Insurance contract that cannot be cancelled by the insurance company. Since the insurance policy is a UNILATERAL CONTRACT instead of a BILATERAL CONTRACT, the INSURED may cancel at will. ...
Transaction of reinsurance under which there is a limit on the total liability of the re-insurer and future investment income is a recognized component of the underwriting process. This ...
Life insurance payment that is constant from year to year. The premium may be paid throughout the life of an insured or may be limited to a maximum number, such as 30 annual premiums. The ...
Insurance coverage that protects a company's and/or individual's assets against financial loss resulting from acts of confiscation, expropriation, or nationalization by a foreign ...
Deduction allowed for gifts and bequests to a spouse for federal estate and gift tax purposes. Under the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 (ERTA), the deduction became unlimited. Prior to ...
System of classifying face amount of policies according to size within a given range. The premium rate per $1,000 of face amount varies on a declining basis. As the face amount increases, ...
Coverage in which the face amount of a policy remains uniform, neither increasing nor decreasing for as long as the policy is in force. ...
Regulation named after a former Superintendent of Insurance of New York State, and instituted in the early 1900s. It requires every insurer admitted to New York to comply with the New York ...
Same as term Automobile Assigned Risk Insurance Plan: coverage in which individuals who cannot obtain conventional automobile liability insurance, usually because of adverse driving ...
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