Description: This article discusses two recent 2005 IRS private letter rulings that involved the meaning of “cash surrender value” as used under code section 7702, which defines a life insurance contract for federal income tax purposes.

Description: Read the June 2017 issue of Taxing Times published by the The Taxation Section. Newsletters provide practical information for the working actuary, articles on trends that impact sections and news about section activities.

Description: On June 26, 2013, the Supreme Court released its decision in the case of United States v. Windsor, Executor of the Estate of Spyer, et al. addressing the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (“DOMA”). This article explores the implications for life insurance and annuity contract spousal provisions that are governed by federal law.

Description: The Chairperson of the Taxation Section discusses how the section will deal with changes to the US Tax Code.

Description: This article discusses the implications of a principle-based reserve PBR system with respect to federal income taxation of life insurance companies, particularly with respect to tax reserves and their deductibility for tax purposes. The article discusses potential problems with existing tax rules for reserve deduction, what courses of action the IRS could take, and suggestions for design features of a PBR approach that would make it more consistent with current tax rules. Life insurance product tax implications are also discussed.

Description: This article addresses the 2001 CSO Mortality Table and the implications for preneed insurance, for which the table has been deemed inadequate. The article explores interim measures such as additional reserves, treatment as substandard, and tax implications. There is also discussion of a model NAIC regulation which would mandate the use of 1980 CSO mortality for preneed as well as efforts to eventually establish a new preneed mortality table for valuation and nonforfeiture purposes.

Description: Congress has acted in recent years to remove outdated provisions governing the federal income taxation of life insurance companies from the Internal Revenue Code. In particular, section 809 and section 815 were repealed and suspended, respectively, in 2004. This article chronicles the demise of these provisions and explains why Congress was right in removing them from the Code.

Description: This article discusses the June 23, 1977 Supreme Court ruling that a life insurance company must include the net valuation portion but not the associated loading of deferred and uncollected premiums in its assets and gross premium income as well as in its reserves in computing its tax liability. Some companies have been using this procedure or a modification of it for the past few years. Other companies have been filing returns conforming to IRS regulations which required including gross deferred and uncollected premiums. These companies may need to file amended returns for open tax years if they paid taxes not due or understated usable operations/loss carry forwards. The author then goes on to review the implications of the court’s decision for companies filing amended returns.

Description: The Chairperson of the Taxation Section shares the section council's plans and goals for 2017

Description: A discussion of how the tax law changes of 2003 might affect the attractiveness of variable annuity business relative to mutual funds and direct investments in dividend paying equities.