Description: Discusses the section 6694 tax return preparer penalty regime and examines how it might potentially apply to other professionals, such as actuaries, who assist those traditionally considered to be tax professionals.

Description: Discusses five subjects, including proposed IASB discussion paper, split-dollar life insurance, penalties for paid tax preparers, statutory reserves for insurers, and NAIC securitization initiatives.

Description: This article discusses the Section 338h10 election on the disposition of an insurance company.

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

Description: This article discusses a new procedure for correcting inadvertent failures to satisfy the diversification requirements applicable to variable annuity and life insurance contracts under section 817h of the Internal Revenue Code.

Description: A brief overview of the rules for corporate owned life insurance in section 101j and then summarizes the guidance contained in the IRS notice.

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 Internal Revenue Service “the Service” or “IRS” recently released Technical Advice Memorandum 200939019 “the TAM”. The TAM initially caused a stir among some in the insurance tax industry because it disallows a tax deduction that was permitted on the NAIC Annual Statement hereinafter “NAIC statement”. Specifically, the TAM states that unpaid loss adjustment expenses “LAE” for retiree medical benefits may only be deducted in the tax year in which the benefits are included in income by the employee who earned the benefits, despite the fact the amounts were properly included on the NAIC statement and regardless of deductibility of the unpaid LAE under the Internal Revenue Code “the Code”. This article discusses the memorandum.

Description: SSAP 10R supersedes Statement of Statutory Accounting Principles No. 10, Income Taxes “SSAP 10” and the new provisions set forth in this accounting principle are effective for year-end 2009 statutory financial statements. If elected, they provide, where appropriate, the ability to admit additional DTAs by increasing the projected realization period from one to three years along with increasing the statutory surplus limitation from 10 percent to 15 percent, provided the entity exceeds certain risk based capital “RBC” thresholds. SSAP 10R also makes explicit and gives definition to the implicit valuation allowance of SSAP 10, and increases transparency through its expanded disclosure requirements for all entities regardless of whether electing the expanded recognition provisions.

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.