Description: Discusses why it is so important for actuaries to actively monitor evolving issues with taxation of life insurance companies and products, and how to monitor the issues and get involved with the process.

Description: Recognition of out-going and incoming council membership.

Description: A recent list of government publications announces the publication of a volume entitled Actuarial Values I: Valuation of Last Survivor Charitable Remainders-Part B-Two-Life Tables for Untirusts and Pooled Income Funds - Internal Revenue Service Publication 7233 11-71 available from the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C. 20402 for $4.50. The article outlines the actuarial formulas used in determining the tables used by the IRS.

Description: Almost 65 years ago, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Helvering v. Le Gierse, addressing when an arrangement should be recognized as involving “insurance” for federal income tax purposes. According to the Court, an “insurance risk” must be present, and for an insurance risk to exist, there must be “risk-shifting and risk distribution.”

Description: On January 19, 2005, the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service the “Service” responded to a life insurance industry request for guidance on the treatment of qualified additional benefits “QABs” under sections 7702 and 7702A of the Internal Revenue Code through the release of Revenue Ruling 2005-6 the “Ruling”.

Description: COLI products continue to be the focus of litigation by the IRS over the deductibility of policy loan interest. This COLI Update consists of two articles concerning COLI cases and their most recent court decisions. The first concerns a District Court’s ruling on insurable interest, and the second provides an analysis of the Sixth Circuit reversal of a trial court decision in a case involving economic substance.

Description: This article discusses the temporary waiver and how it provides only limited relief from the section 401a9 minimum distribution requirements.

Description: This editorial highlights the hot topics happening in the tax industry today.

Description: A discussion of spousal provisions that are governed by federal income tax law, specifically the difference between some state laws and the Defense of Marriage Act DOMA.

Description: This article begins with an overview of how the tax treatment of partial exchanges has evolved over the last decade or so, including the concerns that led the Service to resist giving taxpayers carte blanche on such transactions.The new guidance shortens from 12 to six months the window following a partial exchange in which the transaction could be called into question, and simplifies the regime by de-linking it from the exceptions to the section 72q penalty tax.4 Finally, the guidance provides coordination with recent partial annuitization legislation and answers to other open issues. This article then summarizes Rev. Proc. 2011-38 and elaborates on why the features outlined above are important and helpful improvements over prior guidance.