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 The 1982 code decreed that any money withdrawn from an annuity would be considered income first and would therefore be taxable.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
Investment income. Insurance companies invest part of their premiums that are not immediately needed for claims and administrative expenses. These earnings are critical to an insurance ...
Present value of a series of payments such that the first payment is due immediately, the second payment one period from hence, the third payment two periods hence, and so forth. The ...
Coverage for damage due to peril! of war, usually written as part of an ocean marine insurance policy. ...
Risk management practice designed to control losses by physically separating assets or operations (on separating a single exposure unit into various parts) to reduce maximum potential loss. ...
Primarily a British association whose membership includes risk managers and insurance buyers, with the emphasis on risk management. ...
Provision for every citizen of the United States to be guaranteed by law the right to purchase health insurance and is required by law to make such a purchase. ...
Value or cost of the actual net protection, in life insurance, in any year (face amount less reserve) according to the yearly renewal term rate used by an insurance company. ...
Coverage that guarantees that the executor or administrator of an estate will conduct his or her duties according to the provisions of the will and the legal requirements of the ...
System for calculating the relationship between a pension plan's present cost and its present future benefits. This relationship shows the extent to which a pension plan's benefits are ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.