Description: The article reviews the creation and interpretation of federal tax law, with specific application to the life insurance industry

Description: Read the June 2019 issue of Taxing Times, published by the Taxation Section. Newsletters provide practical information for the working actuary, articles on trends that impact sections and news about section activities.

Description: At the beginning of this year, Representative Dave Camp (R-MI) retired from the House of Representatives after 12 terms, the last two terms serving as Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means. Chairman Camp has played a central role in the national conversation on tax reform, primarily through a series of discussion drafts addressing international tax reform, financial products tax reform, small business tax reform and, most recently, a comprehensive tax reform discussion draft that we explored in a special edition of TAXING TIMES last fall. Kristin Norberg, TAXING TIMES editor, recently sat down with Chairman Camp to talk about his career in the House, the development of the Tax Reform Act of 2014, and some of its potential impacts on the insurance industry.

Description: This article summarizes the treatment of changes in the basis for determining life insurance tax reserves under prior law and describes the changes enacted by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. It further explains the procedures for changing the basis of computing reserves under the new rules as outlined in Revenue Procedure 2019-10, the IRS’s December 2018 guidance on the subject, and discusses the uncertainties that remain.

Description: Update on Life Insurer Legislative and Regulatory issues

Description: Read the October 2020 issue of Taxing Times published by the Taxation Section. Newsletter provide practical information for the working actuary, articles on trends that impact sections and news about section activities.

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: Update to initial article in Sept. 2007 issue, because of two new revenue rulings: Rev. Rul. 2007-54, 2007-38 I.R.B. 604 and Rev. Rul. 2007-61, 2007-42 I.R.B. 799.

Description: Illustrates the lack of clarity about how the various grandfather clauses applicable to life insurance contracts should be applied in practice.

Description: The recent Tax Technical Corrections Act of 2007, Pub. L. 110-172, signed into law on Dec. 29, 2007, includes a provision that permits a taxpayer to select positions in a straddle and thereby avoid surprise applications of the straddle rules by the IRS on audit.