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 The 1982 code decreed that any money withdrawn from an annuity would be considered income first and would therefore be taxable.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
Policy under which the insurer will pay the actual cash value of the property at the time the property was damaged or destroyed provided the loss falls within the limitations of the policy. ...
Appreciation in the unsold assets' value. When assets are sold, their capital gain (loss) is shown on the insurance company's income statement; any unrealized gain or loss is not included ...
Limiting provision. Exclusions listed in group health plans include: benefits under Workers Compensation; certain dental procedures; convalescent or rest cures; medical expenses resulting ...
Market in which sellers dominate trading and force financial asset prices down. ...
Ratio of net income after taxes to total end of the year net worth. This ratio indicates the return on stockholder's total equity. ...
Maximum amount that an insurance company is obligated to pay all injured parties seeking recourse as the result of the occurrence of an event covered under a liability insurance pol ...
Health insurance contract that is renewable at the option of the insurer. On the anniversary date of the contract, the insurer has the right to decide whether or not to renew. ...
Same as term Bankers Blanket Bond: coverage for a bank in the event of loss due to dishonest acts of its employees or individuals external to the bank. For example, if a teller goes to ...
Rule concerning stock sold and then repurchased or a similar security repurchased (warrants or options) within 30 full days before or after the day of the sale. Losses established from such ...
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