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 The 1982 code decreed that any money withdrawn from an annuity would be considered income first and would therefore be taxable.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
Methods for payment of the value of a policy. An insurance company can select one of three options in settlement of a loss: make a cash payment; take possession of damaged or destroyed ...
Representative of an insurance company who sells ordinary and industrial life insurance policies. In an effort to move their field forces into the ordinary life business, many industrial ...
Coverage in liability insurance for a ship owner in the event of collision with another ship. A running down clause, when added to basic hull marine insurance, protects against liability ...
Provision in most property insurance policies that permits a policyholder to use the insured premises to store materials and handle them in the manner needed to pursue his or her line of ...
Inland marine policy that protects an insured against loss for property that is shipped. One policy may be written for a single shipment, as for a family moving household goods, or it may ...
Maritime acts resulting in a liability circumstance falling under common law and statutory law. ...
Aggregate of face amount of coverage paid up, or on which premiums are still being paid, as issued by a life insurance company. This is one measure used to rank life insurance companies by ...
Total premiums written by a ceding company minus premiums ceded to its reinsurer. ...
Notice added to the employee retirement income security act (erisa) requiring the employer to disclose the following information concerning the pension plan to the employee: statement ...
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