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 The 1982 code decreed that any money withdrawn from an annuity would be considered income first and would therefore be taxable.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
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 ...
Term meaning that an exporter of goods that are damaged or destroyed during international shipment relinquishes responsibility for the damage or destruction once the goods leave the point ...
Abbreviation for premium payment. It usually applies to a limited number of annual premium payment policies such as a ten-day policy. ...
Method of accident prevention whose objective is to detect system-component deficiencies that have the potential for causing accidents. ...
Same as term CEDE: to transfer a risk from an insurance company to a reinsurance company. ...
Health characteristic considered by an insurer underwriting an applicant for life or health insurance. Many insurance companies charge reduced premiums for nonsmokers. ...
Coverage on an all risks basis, subject to exclusions of war, wear and tear, loss resulting from delay, loss of market, infidelity of the insured's employee, loss due to rain, sleet, snow, ...
Annuity that provides income payments for a number of years provided the annuitant is alive to receive them. All income payments cease upon the death of the annuitant. ...
Policyholder's equity share of the life insurance company's assets. The share is based on the policyholder's contribution to assets (the company's gross premiums minus cost of insurance, ...
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