Pan-American Life Ins. Co. v. Commissioner (A)

38 B.T.A. 1430, 1938 BTA LEXIS 740
CourtUnited States Board of Tax Appeals
DecidedDecember 23, 1938
DocketDocket No. 84638.
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 38 B.T.A. 1430 (Pan-American Life Ins. Co. v. Commissioner (A)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Board of Tax Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pan-American Life Ins. Co. v. Commissioner (A), 38 B.T.A. 1430, 1938 BTA LEXIS 740 (bta 1938).

Opinion

[1435]*1435OPINION.

Black:

The first question for decision is whether petitioner is entitled to deduct from its gross income an amount equal to 3¾ per centum of the mean of its reserve for incurred disability benefits held at the beginning and end of the taxable year. The applicable statute is the Kevenue Act of 1932, the material provisions of which are set out in the margin.1

Petitioner is a “life insurance company” as that term is defined in section 201 (a). The policies with respect to which the reserve in question was held were “contracts of combined life, health, and accident insurance.” Under all of these policies the insured agreed to pay a certain annual premium in consideration for petitioner agreeing to pay the insured’s beneficiary a sum certain upon receipt of due proofs of death of the insured. In some of the policies the insured agreed to pay a small additional premium in consideration for petitioner agreeing to waive the future payment of premiums in case the insured became totally and permanently disabled as the result of bodily injury or disease; and in some of the policies the insured agreed to pay a larger additional premium in consideration for petitioner agreeing not only to waive the future payment of premiums as they became due, but also to pay the insured a stated monthly income in case the insured became totally and permanently disabled as the result of bodily injury or disease. To meet its future unac-crued and contingent obligations under these combined life, health, and accident policies, petitioner set up and held at the beginning and end of the taxable year several reserve funds. Its largest reserve was a reserve to meet the purely death claims as and when they matured. This reserve is a part of the reserve for outstanding policies and annuities, reported on line 1, schedule A, of petitioner’s income tax return. Another reserve was a reserve to meet its future unaccrued and contingent obligation to waive premiums or to waive [1436]*1436premiums and to pay a monthly income, depending upon the type of policy, in cases of total and permanent disability where the insured had not yet become disabled. This reserve is a part of the reserve for disability and accidental death benefits, reported on line 2 of schedule A of petitioner’s return. The statutory per centum of the mean of the two last mentioned reserves was deducted by petitioner and allowed by respondent as “reserve funds required by law”, and those reserves are not involved in this proceeding. They constitute the larger part of petitioner’s reserves “required by law.” Another reserve reported by petitioner on line 3 of schedule A of petitioner’s return was for supplementary contracts. This reserve petitioner concedes is a solvency reserve and that petitioner is entitled to no deduction by reason thereof. The fourth reserve, which is the pne here involved, was set up by petitioner and held to meet its future unaccrued and contingent obligation to waive premiums or to waive premiums and to pay a monthly income, depending upon the type of policy, in cases of total and permanent disability where the insured had already become disabled. This reserve is the reserve for incurred disability benefits, reported by petitioner on line 4 of schedule A in the amounts of $311,250.91 and $378,915.36, respectively, and is subdivided according to the benefits reserved for, as follows:

[[Image here]]

This reserve for incurred disability benefits did not include any amount for benefits which had already accrued in favor of the disabled insured. Such latter amounts would represent pure liabilities of petitioner and the reserve set up therefor would be in the nature of a solvency reserve and not a reserve “required by law” as that term is used in section 203 (a) (2) of the Revenue Act of 1932. Cf. Maryland Casualty Co. v. United States, 251 U. S. 342, as modified by United States v. Boston Insurance Co., 269 U. S. 197. It included only amounts held for the payment of benefits which would become due in the future, providing the insured survived and remained disabled.

At the time petitioner filed its income tax return for the year 1933 the respondent’s regulations (art. 971, Regulations 77) held that the type of reserve here involved was a reserve required by law. The per[1437]*1437tinent provisions of these regulations are set out in the margin.2 Substantially the same provisions were contained in all of the regulations issued under all of the revenue acts beginning with the Eevenue Act of 1921. See article 681 of Eegulations 62,65, and 69, and article 971 of Eegulations 74. “Items 7-11 of the liability page of the annual statement” referred to in the regulations are also set out in the margin.3 These items correspond with lines 1 to 5, respectively, of “Schedule A — Eeserve Funds” contained in the blank income tax return for life insurance companies, form 1120 L. Item 10 of the liability page of the annual statement is the item petitioner relied upon at the time it filed its return as authority for deducting 3¾ per centum of the mean of the reserve for incurred disability benefits held at the beginning and end of the taxable year.

Shortly after the Court of Claims handed down its decision in Continental Assurance Co. v. United States, 8 Fed. Supp. 474, the respondent issued Eegulations 86 under the Eevenue Act of 1934. Although section 203 (a) (2) of the Eevenue Act of 1934, so far as material here, was the same as similar provisions in all the prior revenue acts beginning with the Eevenue Act of 1921, the respondent in article 203 (a) (2)-l of Eegulations 86 omitted all reference to items 7-11 of the liability page of the annual statement for life insurance companies and held, among other things, that the reserve funds required [1438]*1438by law did not include “estimated value of future premiums which have been waived on policies after proof of total and permanent disability.” Thereafter, the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Helvering v. Inter-Mountain Life Insurance Co., 294 U. S. 686, in which it cited with approval Continental Assurance Co. v. United States, supra. The respondent then issued Treasury Decision 4615. (Cumulative Internal Revenue Bulletin XIV — 2, p. 310), in which he amended article 681 of Regulations 62, 65, and 69, and article 971 of Regulations 74 and 77, to read the same, so far as material here, as article 203 (a) (2)-l of Regulations 86, supra. Since then the Supreme Court has decided Helvering v. Illinois Life Insurance Co., 299 U. S. 88.

The respondent, in support of his contention that the term “reserve funds required by law” in section 203 (a) (2), supra, does not include the reserve for incurred disability benefits here in question, relies upon his regulations as amended by T. D. 4615, supra, and the decisions of New York Life Insurance Co. v. Edwards, 271 U. S. 109 (point 3), Helvering v.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Central Reserve Life Corp. v. Commissioner
113 T.C. No. 19 (U.S. Tax Court, 1999)
Phoenix Mut. Life Ins. Co. v. Commissioner
96 T.C. No. 18 (U.S. Tax Court, 1991)
Aetna Life Insurance v. United States
16 Cl. Ct. 364 (Court of Claims, 1989)
Occidental Life Insurance v. United States
250 F. Supp. 130 (S.D. California, 1965)
Equitable Life Assurance Soc. v. Commissioner
44 B.T.A. 293 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1941)
Manufacturers Life Ins. Co. v. Commissioner
43 B.T.A. 867 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1941)
New World Life Ins. Co. v. United States
26 F. Supp. 444 (Court of Claims, 1939)
Pan-American Life Ins. Co. v. Commissioner (A)
38 B.T.A. 1430 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1938)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
38 B.T.A. 1430, 1938 BTA LEXIS 740, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pan-american-life-ins-co-v-commissioner-a-bta-1938.