Description: Editor highlights three of the issue's articles and gives thanks to the departing assistant editor.

Description: This article begins with an overview of how the tax treatment of partial exchanges has evolved over the last decade or so, including the concerns that led the Service to resist giving taxpayers carte blanche on such transactions.The new guidance shortens from 12 to six months the window following a partial exchange in which the transaction could be called into question, and simplifies the regime by de-linking it from the exceptions to the section 72q penalty tax.4 Finally, the guidance provides coordination with recent partial annuitization legislation and answers to other open issues. This article then summarizes Rev. Proc. 2011-38 and elaborates on why the features outlined above are important and helpful improvements over prior guidance.

Description: The Internal Revenue Code includes certain rules that apply when a taxpayer has a change in method of accounting. A special rule applies when a life insurance company changes its basis of computing reserves. The article discusses two recent court cases, Bosamia v. Commissioner and Capital One Financial Corp. v. Commissioner, that address change-in-method-of-accounting issues. The article examines whether and how the courts' conclusions in these two cases might apply to changes in basis of computing reserves to correct errors.

Description: Review of section and council activities over past year.

Description: A discussion of the plans for the Taxation Section including educational offerings, seminars and the section newsletter.

Description: This article considers PLR 201304003, which addressed the application of Internal Revenue Code section 1035 to the exchange of a survivorship, or “second-to-die,” life insurance contract after the death of one of the insureds for a new life insurance contract covering only the life of the surviving insured.

Description: The article provides guidlines for the proper way to correct several types of tax reserve errors.

Description: Actuary/accountant/tax attorney dialogue on recent guidance issued regarding treatment of deficiency reserves with respect to the “statutory reserves cap” of Internal Revenue Code section 807(d)(1).

Description: This article discusses tax and accounting issues that arise under a recently-issued Chief Counsel Advice in which the IRS applied a life insurance company tax rule to a nonlife company that issues life insurance products

Description: This article summarizes a recent revenue ruling concerning the insurance company qualification of an affiliate that reinsures retiree health benefits under an arrangement entered into by a VEBA.