Definition of "Tax reform act of 1984"

Legislation that raised taxes on life insurers and further defined life insurance. Because the tax equity and financial responsibility act of 1982 and 1983 (TEFRA) failed to raise the amount of revenue the U.S. Treasury wanted, the 1984 Act again raised the corporate tax on life insurance companies. It also expanded the definition of life insurance to all life insurance contracts, rather than just those with flexible premiums that had been addressed in the Tax Reform Act of 1982. For flexible premium contracts, the 1982 Act established the death benefits had to represent a certain percentage of the cash value, which declined as the policyholder got older. The 1984 Act raised that ratio. For example, at age 40, the death benefit must be at least 250% of cash value for the product to qualify as life insurance. This act also attempted to redistribute the tax burden between mutual and stock life insurance companies. It also replaced a three-tier structure for taxing life insurance companies with a single-phase structure.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Insurance Terms

Payment of that portion of the annual premium by the employee necessary to cover the PS-58 cost for that given year. Any unpaid premium balance for that particular year is paid by the ...

Measurement of how people feel about prevailing economic conditions, employment outlook, and personal finances. This index is based on statistics gathered from questionnaires mailed by the ...

Buy-sell agreements found in partnerships, sole proprietorships, and close corporations. Either the business entity or the surviving members of the business agree to buy out the interest of ...

Circumstance in which an insurance company can issue life or health insurance to an applicant based on standards set by the company. ...

Means of supplementing an executive's retirement benefits by deferring a portion of his or her current earnings. Deferring income in this manner encourages the loyalty of executives. To ...

Annuity that continues income payments as long as the annuitant lives, ceasing upon the individual's death. ...

Value of a foregone opportunity, one rejected in favor of a presumably better opportunity. For example, investment of a sum into a mutual fund instead of a variable annuity with a ...

Coverage for small groups that cannot meet the underwriting standards of true group insurance. Even though the franchise insurance covers an entire group, individual policies are written on ...

Entitlement of a pension plan participant (employee) to receive full benefits at normal retirement age, or a reduced benefit upon early retirement, whether or not the participant still ...

Popular Insurance Questions