Description: This is an article about how to place value on an annuity benefit.

Description: This article is a discussion about automatic waivers and the corresponding procedures under IRC sections 7702 and 101f.

Description: A look back on the 25th anniversary of the 1984 Tax Act DEFRA and newly proposed regulations and legislation to raise tax revenue.

Description: The United States district court for the Southern District of Ohio recently issued its opinion in American Financial Group and Consolidated Subsidiaries v. United States. The issue in the case as framed by the Internal Revenue Service IRS was whether Actuarial Guideline XXXIII AG 33 applies retroactively or prospectively to the calculation of reserves for deferred annuity contracts. This article is a discussion of this opinion.

Description: This article discusses XXX reserve financing, one of the most common life insurance industry capital markets funding transactions.

Description: An interview with William J. Wilkins, Chief Counsel for the Internal Revenue Service and the Assistant General Counsel in the Department of the Treasury.

Description: In September 2009, the Internal Revenue Service IRS released a private letter ruling PLR 200939018 June 18, 2009 addressing a contract in which the right to receive annuity payments and otherwise access a contract’s cash value is contingent upon the annuitant living to a specified age. The ruling holds that the contract is an annuity contract for purposes of section 72 of the Code. This article reviews the specifics of the ruling.

Description: A discussion of the three private letter rulings addressing the tax treatment of group insurance contingent annuity contracts providing guaranteed minimum withdrawal benefits linked to an investment account released by the Internal Revenue Service.

Description: An explanation of the reasons why the IRS should rule on the application of section 351 to the transfer of assets and reserves in an indemnity coinsurance transaction where the ceding company transfers more assets to the assuming company than it would in an arms-length transaction and, therefore, the ceding company actually receives or is deemed to receive stock in the exchange for the transferred assets including the value of insurance in force. We also will summarize other interesting rulings in the PLR.

Description: In the environment of discussions about simplifying the tax code for individuals including eliminating many deductions, this editorial raises the question of the appropriateness of eliminating some of the tax benefits of employer benefit plans.