Jun 13, 2017
From the June 2017 Taxing Times: The federal income tax law was once described by a federal judge as a conspiracy in restraint of understanding. While people—including tax professionals—at times feel that way, there are some terms in the tax law that appear reassuringly simple. And yet some of those terms are deceptively simple. This edition of the “In the Beginning” column devotes itself to exploring, at a basic level, the tax meaning of three concepts that are fundamental to the income taxation of life insurance products: premiums paid, investment in the contract, and basis. Written by John T. Adney. Read by Dan Theodore.