Description: Explore a brief overview of federal income taxation of health insurers and selected technical tax topics during this panel discussion webcast. You'll dive into the evolution of heath insurers and healthcare-related services and the arising questions regarding their risk-bearing activities, as well as whether or not certain types of healthcare businesses qualify as "insurance companies" for federal income tax purposes. Also, expect to learn about loss reserves for guaranteed renewable contracts and how they can affect insurance company tax status. This webcast will continue to highlight how the IRS challenges loss reserves of health insurers as the panelists review the status of tax cases, IRS guidance and recent IRS activity regarding "margins."

Description: Mark Smith interviews Helen Hubbard, associate chief counsel (Financial Institutions and Products) in the IRS Office of Chief Counsel.

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.

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: The article provides an introduction to some of the key limitations that the Internal Revenue Code imposes on business uses of life insurance, focusing on the limitations under Section 264(a) on business deductions for premiums and interest expenses related to life insurance, the similar limitations under Section 264(f) for unrelated interest expenses of businesses that own life insurance, the limitations under Section 101(j) on the excludability of death benefits under employer-owned life insurance contracts, and the recently-enacted rules for life settlement transactions.

Description: In February 2015, the Internal Revenue Service Chief Counsel appointed Alexis MacIvor as the chief of Branch 4 of the Office of the Associate Chief Counsel (Financial Institutions & Products). That branch (sometimes referred to by our readers as the “Insurance Branch”) has seven attorneys who work exclusively on issues concerning the taxation of insurance companies and the products those companies issue. Because of the importance of that branch’s work product to the issues that life actuaries must address every day, the Taxing Times Editorial Board and the Taxation Section Council thought our readers would appreciate the opportunity to meet Alexis and welcome her to the insurance tax actuarial community. Mark Smith of our editorial board recently met with Ms. MacIvor to talk about her background and her new role.