Description: This article explores the complexities and potential problems with respect to tax reserves that could result from a retroactive application of a principle-based reserves PBR approach for life insurance reserves.

Description: Basic discussion of premiums paid, investment in the contract, and basis as used in IRC provisions applicable to life insurance and annuity contracts.

Description: The author uses a reprint of an article from the very first edition of the “News from the Individual Life Insurance and Annuity Product Development Section” and assistance from the Taxation Section Council and Friends of that Council to decipher the changes between the life insurance tax environment back in the 1980s compared to today.

Description: Read the February 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: Section 807d of the IRC provides that the deductible reserve for a life insurance contract is the greater of net surrender value or the Federally Prescribed Reserve FPR calculated under prescribed interest rate and mortality assumptions, but in no event can the tax reserve exceed “aggregate statutory reserves” i.e., the statutory cap. This article logically concludes that deficiency reserves are included in the calculation of the statutory cap.

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

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