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 The 1982 code decreed that any money withdrawn from an annuity would be considered income first and would therefore be taxable.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
Plan under which an employee authorizes his or her employer to deduct from each paycheck premiums due on an insurance plan. ...
Frequency of premium payment; for example annually, semiannually, quarterly, or monthly. ...
Proceeds from a life insurance policy paid on a monthly basis instead of in a lump sum. ...
Association of life insurance companies focusing on legislation and public relations that may affect the life insurance business on federal, state, and local levels. Membership is composed ...
List of cash allowances for various types of surgeries. ...
Bond derivatives of short-term duration whose principal or coupon value is determined by a market index. Market indexes that can be utilized include securities, commodity prices, and ...
Judgment decision by the insurance agent concerning whether or not to submit an application. The decision is based on the agent's familiarity with the insurance company's underwriting ...
Premium charge for a policy that is going to be in force for less than the normal period of time. ...
Coverage for motorized vehicles, each of which requires separate policies for property damage and liability exposures. Motorized vehicles are not covered under a homeowners insurance policy ...
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