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Full-Text Articles in Insurance Law

Tax Consequences Of Assigning Life Insurance - Time For Another Look, Douglas A. Kahn, Lawrence W. Waggoner Jan 1999

Tax Consequences Of Assigning Life Insurance - Time For Another Look, Douglas A. Kahn, Lawrence W. Waggoner

Articles

The Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 furnishes the courts and the Internal Revenue Service an opportunity to close certain loopholes in the federal tax consequences of assigning life insurance. About twenty years ago, we published an article arguing that the tax consequences of assigning life insurance affords taxpayers unwarranted opportunities for tax avoidance. Since then, developments in the case law and Internal Revenue Service rulings have broadened the loopholes. In the update of our article, we show how the new tax law supports our original position.


Federal Taxation Of The Assignment Of Life Insurance, Douglas A. Kahn, Lawrence W. Waggoner Jan 1977

Federal Taxation Of The Assignment Of Life Insurance, Douglas A. Kahn, Lawrence W. Waggoner

Articles

The most litigated estate tax issue concerning life insurance is whether the proceeds should be included in the insured's gross estate. This question usually is governed by section 2042 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, the estate tax provision directed specifically at life insurance. While the Tax Reform Act of 1976 wrought enormous changes in many areas of estate taxation, Congress did not change section 2042. Thus the several unresolved questions concerning the interpretation of that section remain unsettled. But the question of the includability of life insurance proceeds in the gross estate of the insured is not always …


Estate Tax--Life Insurance--Section 2035 As A Basis For Including Life Insurance Proceeds In The Gross Estate Of An Insured Who Paid Premiums On A Policy Owned By Another Person, Michigan Law Review Feb 1969

Estate Tax--Life Insurance--Section 2035 As A Basis For Including Life Insurance Proceeds In The Gross Estate Of An Insured Who Paid Premiums On A Policy Owned By Another Person, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

If a decedent possessed any of the incidents of ownership of a life insurance policy, or if the policy proceeds were payable to his executor, the entire amount of the insurance proceeds is included in his estate for estate tax purposes under section 2042 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (Code). However, if the decedent had transferred ownership of the policy to another person in a transaction that both met the requirements of section 2042 and was not regarded as "in contemplation of death," but continued to pay the insurance premiums until his death, it is unclear whether any …


Federal Estate Tax - Marital Deduction - Annuity For Life With Guaranteed Certain Payments Not Divided Into Two Properties By Insurer's Accounting Treatment, William S. Bach Apr 1961

Federal Estate Tax - Marital Deduction - Annuity For Life With Guaranteed Certain Payments Not Divided Into Two Properties By Insurer's Accounting Treatment, William S. Bach

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff, executor of decedent's estate, brought suit to recover an overpayment of federal estate tax. Decedent had purchased a life insurance policy and had elected an option under which proceeds would be paid to his wife in monthly payments for her life; however, the option also guaranteed a minimum of 240 payments. In the event the wife died before 240 payments were made, payments were to continue to decedent's daughter, or on the death of both wife and daughter, the commuted value of the remaining guaranteed payments would be paid in lump sum to the estate of the survivor. The …


Inheritance Taxation - Selected Provisions Of Michigan, Illinois And Ohio - A Study In Application And Justification, Edward B. Stulberg S.Ed. Apr 1959

Inheritance Taxation - Selected Provisions Of Michigan, Illinois And Ohio - A Study In Application And Justification, Edward B. Stulberg S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

This comment will explore the existing variations in four commonly encountered areas: joint interests with rights of survivorship, contingent remainder interests, powers of appointment, and life insurance proceeds. Emphasis will also be placed on treatment accorded the surviving spouse and children and the implicit relationship between such treatment and some of the above areas. The essence of this examination will be to inquire whether adoption of an estate tax would be a more suitable vehicle for implementing a local death tax program.


Federal Taxation - Tax Aspects Of Corporate Buy And Sell Agreement, Joel D. Tauber S.Ed. Feb 1959

Federal Taxation - Tax Aspects Of Corporate Buy And Sell Agreement, Joel D. Tauber S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

It is the purpose of this comment to consider the tax problems connected with both types of "conventional" corporate buy and sell agreements. It should be recognized, however, that there are many questions of local law and business necessity that also exert influence on the use of such agreements.


Federal Taxation - Transferee Liability Of Insurance Beneficiary, John Gelder S.Ed. Dec 1958

Federal Taxation - Transferee Liability Of Insurance Beneficiary, John Gelder S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Nearly six years after taxpayer died income tax deficiencies were determined against his estate. Since his estate was insolvent the Commissioner sought to impose transferee liability under section 311 of the 1939 code (now I.R.C. section 6901) on plaintiff, taxpayer's widow, as beneficiary of" her husband's life insurance. The Tax Court, applying federal law, held plaintiff liable for the entire deficiency since the proceeds received by her exceeded that amount. The court of appeals, applying state law, reversed and ruled that the beneficiary was not a "transferee" within the meaning of section 311 even to the extent of the cash …


Taxation - Federal Estate Tax - Insurance And Annuity Combinations, John B. Schwemm S.Ed. Jun 1958

Taxation - Federal Estate Tax - Insurance And Annuity Combinations, John B. Schwemm S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Decedent, aged seventy-six, invested in three single premium life insurance policies. Issuance of each was conditioned on the purchase of a single life, nonrefundable annuity of specified value, and no physical examination was required. Each combination was balanced so that the total premium, exclusive of loading charges, equalled the face value of the insurance. The resulting correlation between compound interest and annuity disbursements made the guaranteed payments to the annuitant correspond precisely with the expected income of a reinvestment of the entire deposit by the insurer. Decedent retained the annuity rights, but all present and future interests in the life …


The Limitation Of Taxation Of Transfers In Contemplation Of Death By The Revenue Act Of 1950, Edmund W. Pavenstedt Apr 1951

The Limitation Of Taxation Of Transfers In Contemplation Of Death By The Revenue Act Of 1950, Edmund W. Pavenstedt

Michigan Law Review

The Revenue Act of 1950 amended the estate tax provision dealing with transfers in contemplation of death, which has been on the books ever since the estate tax first appeared as a war emergency measure during World War I, by eliminating from this category all transfers made more than three years prior to the date of death. All transfers made within that period are deemed under the new law to have been made in contemplation of death (and hence are includible in the transferor's gross estate) unless the contrary is shown. Such a rebuttable presumption formerly was limited by the …


The Limitation Of Taxation Of Transfers In Contemplation Of Death By The Revenue Act Of 1950, Edmund W. Pavenstedt Apr 1951

The Limitation Of Taxation Of Transfers In Contemplation Of Death By The Revenue Act Of 1950, Edmund W. Pavenstedt

Michigan Law Review

The Revenue Act of 1950 amended the estate tax provision dealing with transfers in contemplation of death, which has been on the books ever since the estate tax first appeared as a war emergency measure during World War I, by eliminating from this category all transfers made more than three years prior to the date of death. All transfers made within that period are deemed under the new law to have been made in contemplation of death (and hence are includible in the transferor's gross estate) unless the contrary is shown. Such a rebuttable presumption formerly was limited by the …


Taxation-Federal Gift Tax-Life Insurance Policies, John W. Riehm S.Ed. Jan 1947

Taxation-Federal Gift Tax-Life Insurance Policies, John W. Riehm S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

On December 19, 1930 the petitioner created two trusts, placing in the first five $100,000 life insurance policies on the life of her husband, and in the second, securities, the income from which was to pay premiums on the policies, excess if any to be paid to the petitioner; after the death of her husband the whole of the income from the securities was to be paid to her for life. On death of the husband the proceeds of the life insurance policies were to be used to provide life estates for four named beneficiaries followed by remainders over; and …


Taxation - Federal Gift Tax - Integration With Income Tax, Katherine Kempfer Dec 1942

Taxation - Federal Gift Tax - Integration With Income Tax, Katherine Kempfer

Michigan Law Review

Beck in 1935 created an irrevocable funded insurance trust of $172,000 in securities together with seven policies of insurance on his life. The income from the securities was to be applied to pay the premiums on the policies and any surplus was to be distributed to his wife and daughter. At grantor's death the proceeds of the policies were to be added to the corpus of the trust and all income was to go to the same beneficiaries for life with remainders over. There was no possibility of reverter in the grantor and no right to alter, modify or revoke …


Federal Taxation Of Insurance Trusts, Allan F. Smith Dec 1941

Federal Taxation Of Insurance Trusts, Allan F. Smith

Michigan Law Review

The life insurance trust may take many forms and serve a variety of purposes, but for present purposes it may be defined as a trust, at least part of the corpus of which is a policy of life insurance, in which the duty of the trustee is to receive the proceeds of such policy and administer such proceeds as a trust. Such a trust, like any other, may be revocable or irrevocable, and may be funded or unfunded. These various types will be considered separately only where the tax results vary with the type. The present objective is to survey …


Taxation -Taxability Of Insurance Policies Under The Federal Estate Tax Where Possibility Of Reverter To Insured, Felicia I. Hmiel Jun 1941

Taxation -Taxability Of Insurance Policies Under The Federal Estate Tax Where Possibility Of Reverter To Insured, Felicia I. Hmiel

Michigan Law Review

In 1920 decedent purchased a fifty-thousand-dollar life insurance policy, making his wife beneficiary and providing that if she predeceased him the proceeds should be payable to the executors of his estate. No power to revoke the policy or to change the beneficiary was expressly retained. The decedent predeceased the beneficiary and, in the assessment of the federal estate tax, the proceeds were included as part of his gross estate. The tax was paid, and plaintiff executor brought suit to recover an alleged overpayment of the estate tax because of the inclusion in the gross estate of the proceeds of the …


Taxation Of Annuity Contracts Under Estate And Inheritance Taxes, Robert Meisenholder Apr 1941

Taxation Of Annuity Contracts Under Estate And Inheritance Taxes, Robert Meisenholder

Michigan Law Review

A glance at any authoritative encyclopedia will confirm the fact that annuity transactions of one sort or another have existed since earliest civilized times. It was not until 1762, however, that the first insurance company of the world was established; at that time began the issuance of annuity contracts similar to our modem contracts. The popularity of such contracts has increased and decreased at various periods in Great Britain. But in the United States, they have assumed importance only since the beginning of this century and have attained a relatively widespread popularity only since the years of prosperity in the …


Taxation - Federal Income Tax - Exemption Of Life Insurance Proceeds When Paid In The Form Of Annuity, Spencer E. Irons Jan 1941

Taxation - Federal Income Tax - Exemption Of Life Insurance Proceeds When Paid In The Form Of Annuity, Spencer E. Irons

Michigan Law Review

A taxpayer was the beneficiary of life insurance policies which required the insurance company to make fifty annual payments of $2,000 each. At the death of the insured in 1917, the commuted value of this obligation was $53,000. Prior to 1934, the taxpayer had received seventeen payments, aggregating $45,473.40, no part of which had been reported as income. For the year 1934, the taxpayer received $2,581.40, of which $2,000 was the annual payment, and $581.40 was an "excess interest" dividend. He again failed to include any of the amount in his gross income. The commissioner determined that under the Revenue …


Taxation -- Insurance And Annuity Contracts Under The Federal Estate Tax -- Differentiation And Theories Of Taxation, Charles F. Dugan Feb 1940

Taxation -- Insurance And Annuity Contracts Under The Federal Estate Tax -- Differentiation And Theories Of Taxation, Charles F. Dugan

Michigan Law Review

In the taxpayer's quest for methods of avoidance of the federal estate tax, one field seems to have been generally overlooked; viz., annuity contracts that are so similar to insurance policies as to be treated like the latter for tax purposes, thus securing the benefit of the $40,000 exemption in section 302 (g). Various reasons might be suggested why this should be so, but the fact remains that there has been practically no discussion of the subject in legal publications and, until the recent case of Old Colony Trust Co. v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, no litigation involving the …


Taxation - Federal Estate Tax - Life Insurance Payable To Specific Beneficiary, Roy L. Steinheimer Dec 1939

Taxation - Federal Estate Tax - Life Insurance Payable To Specific Beneficiary, Roy L. Steinheimer

Michigan Law Review

Six life insurance policies were taken out by decedent upon his own life between March 19, 1925 and January 2, 1929. On July 20, 1932 the decedent, by an instrument in writing, made an assignment of the policies to his wife and named her the beneficiary under the policies. From the date of the assignment until the date of his death, the decedent did not possess any incidents of ownership of the policies though he continued to pay the premiums. The wife of the decedent sued to recover the amount of the tax, assessed and paid on the net proceeds …


Taxation-Federal Estate Tax-Inclusion Of Proceeds Of Insurance Policies In The Gross Estate Jun 1936

Taxation-Federal Estate Tax-Inclusion Of Proceeds Of Insurance Policies In The Gross Estate

Michigan Law Review

It was only natural that the framers of our revenue acts, always on the lookout for new sources of revenue, should have turned their attention to the proceeds of insurance policies when they were dealing with the subject of death duties. It was natural for two reasons: first, the purchase of an insurance policy is nearly always prompted by some vague contemplation of death, and the receipt of the proceeds from a policy is intimately connected with death, in view of the fact that death normally is the event that brings about the maturity of the policy; and second, if …