Insurance in the United Kingdom: Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added

Inline

Latest revision as of 20:20, 20 November 2024

Insurance in the United Kingdom, particularly long-term insurance, is divided into different categories. The categorisation is currently set out in sections 333B, and 431B to 431F of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 (ICTA) with each category of business given a different tax treatment. The Chartered Insurance Institute is a prominent professional group first chartered in 1913^[1] The Financial Services Authority was formed in 2001 as the regulator. In 2013 the Financial Services Authority was dissolved and financial regulation was instead placed with the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority.^[2] London is the country's capital of insurance underwriting and is renowned for its world-leading commercial insurance and reinsurance.^[3]

Controversies

In 2005, regulation of payment protection insurance was cited as a priority by UK's financial regulator;^[4] this scandal partially motivated the reorganization in regulatory agencies which occurred in 2013.^[2]

Categorisation⁸

Life and non-life

The first basic categorisation of long-term insurance is between life and non-life business. Life insurance business is insurance that is contingent on human life. Examples would include a policy that pays out £100,000 if the policy holder dies within a specified time; a policy that pays out £100,000 in 10 years time, but will pay out £101,000 if the policy holder dies before the policy matures; a pension in payment, which will end once the pensioner dies.

The main example of non-lifelong-term insurance business is permanent health insurance, but the category includes pensions management. Capital redemption business, which is business written for a premium in exchange for a payment of an annuity over a period of, say, 99 years, is also long-term non-life business. However, for taxation purposes, only capital redemption business written before 1 January 1938 is treated as non-life assurance business.

Basic life assurance and general annuity business

Basic life assurance and general annuity business is defined as being life assurance business not fitting within any other category of business under section 431F ICTA. It is often abbreviated to BLAGAB. BLAGAB is taxed on the so-called "I minus E basis" (i.e. the company is taxed on its investment return minus its expenses of management). The I minus E basis raises the UK Exchequer more revenue than it would get if it were taxed on a trading basis. This is because a trading computation would tax Premiums plus Investment return minus Expenses minus Claims, and the expectation is that policy holder claims will be greater than the premiums they pay, as policy holders tend to hold life assurance policies as an investment that they hope will grow. To ensure the Exchequer does not lose out in a year where a trading basis would yield greater tax revenues, E (expenses of management) is restricted so the I minus E cannot be lower than the measure of trading profits, with any restricted E being carried forward and deemed to be E of the subsequent period.

Before 1 January 1992, there were separate tax computations for basic life assurance business and for general annuity business, since then the two categories have been combined into BLAGAB.

Capital redemption business written since 31 December 1937 has been treated as though it were BLAGAB from the first accounting period of a company ending on or after 1 July 1999. Before then, it was treated as a separate business taxed on an I minus E basis.

Pension business

The concept of pension business, in section 431B ICTA, was introduced in the Finance Act 1956, which was introduced as a tax-advantaged way of saving for retirement. The tax advantage comes through taxing it on a trading profit basis rather than on an I minus E basis. The precise definition of what it constitutes is closely defined by statute so that only schemes approved by the Government qualify for the tax advantages. Pension business includes business relating both to the accrual of pension benefits whilst the policy holder is working and pensions in payment. Pension business includes reinsurance of pension business.

Background to Pensions: Lifetime allowance: There is a limit on the value of retirement benefits that one can draw from the approved pension schemes before tax penalties apply. That limit is called the lifetime allowance.

Introduced at A-day an individual is allowed to take benefits from their Pension up to the Lifetime allowance limit. Any Benefits taken that exceed this Lifetime allowance will be subject to a tax charge.

A-DAY (26 April 2006): The changes were intended to make pensions less rigid and easier to understand, in a bid to encourage individuals to take control of their own pension Provision and to rationalise the British tax system as applied to pension schemes

References

^ Future Risk: Learning from History. CII.
^ ^a ^b UK’s New Regulators Take Over; FCA Now Responsible for Insurance Sector.
^ "London insurance market has 'story worth telling'". www.insurancebusinessmag.com. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
^ How the PPI scandal unfolded.

[1] Future Risk: Learning from History. CII.

[NewRegulators-2] UK’s New Regulators Take Over; FCA Now Responsible for Insurance Sector.

[3] "London insurance market has 'story worth telling'". www.insurancebusinessmag.com. Retrieved 2024-10-02.

[4] How the PPI scandal unfolded.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|none}}
-{{Cleanup|date=September 2006}}
+{{Refimprove|date=March 2014}}
+'''Insurance in the United Kingdom''', particularly long-term [[insurance]], is divided into different categories.  The categorisation is currently set out in sections 333B, and 431B to 431F of the [[Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988]] (ICTA) with each category of business given a different tax treatment. The [[Chartered Insurance Institute]] is a prominent professional group first chartered in 1913<ref>[http://www.cii.co.uk/media/1756409/cii_future_risk_learning_from_history_final_web.pdf Future Risk: Learning from History. CII.]</ref> The [[Financial Services Authority]] was formed in 2001 as the regulator. In 2013 the [[Financial Services Authority]] was dissolved and [[financial regulation]] was instead placed with the [[Financial Conduct Authority]] and [[Prudential Regulation Authority (United Kingdom)|Prudential Regulation Authority]].<ref name=NewRegulators>[http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/international/2013/04/01/286594.htm UK’s New Regulators Take Over; FCA Now Responsible for Insurance Sector].</ref> [[City of London|London]] is the country's capital of insurance [[underwriting]] and is renowned for its world-leading commercial insurance and [[reinsurance]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=London insurance market has 'story worth telling' |url=https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/uk/news/breaking-news/london-insurance-market-has-story-worth-telling-82724.aspx |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=www.insurancebusinessmag.com |language=en}}</ref>
-For '''corporation tax purposes in the United Kingdom, long-term insurance business is divided into different categories'''. The reason for this is that each category of business is given a different tax treatment. The categorisation is currently set out in sections 333B, and 431B to 431F of the [[Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988]] (ICTA).
+== Controversies ==
+In 2005, regulation of [[payment protection insurance]] was cited as a priority by UK's financial regulator;<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/business/2011/may/05/how-ppi-scandal-unfolded How the PPI scandal unfolded].</ref> this scandal partially motivated the reorganization in regulatory agencies which occurred in 2013.<ref name=NewRegulators/>
+==Categorisation⁸==
-==Categorisation==
 ===Life and non-life===
-The first basic categorisation of long-term insurance business is between life and non-life business. [[Life insurance]] business is insurance that is contingent on human life. Examples would include a policy that pays out £100,000 if the policy holder dies within a specified time; a policy that pays out £100,000 in 10 years time, but will pay out £101,000 if the policy holder dies before the policy matures; a pension in payment, which will end once the pensioner dies.
+The first basic categorisation of long-term insurance is between life and non-life business. [[Life insurance]] business is insurance that is contingent on human life. Examples would include a policy that pays out £100,000 if the policy holder dies within a specified time; a policy that pays out £100,000 in 10 years time, but will pay out £101,000 if the policy holder dies before the policy matures; a pension in payment, which will end once the pensioner dies.
-The main example of non-life long-term insurance business is permanent health insurance, but the category includes pensions management. Capital redemption business, which is business written for a premium in exchange for a payment of an annuity over a period of, say, 99 years, is also long-term non-life business. However, for taxation purposes, only capital redemption business written before [[1 January]] [[1938]] is treated as non-life assurance business.
+The main example of non-lifelong-term insurance business is permanent health insurance, but the category includes pensions management. Capital redemption business, which is business written for a premium in exchange for a payment of an annuity over a period of, say, 99 years, is also long-term non-life business. However, for taxation purposes, only capital redemption business written before 1 January 1938 is treated as non-life assurance business.
-===Basic life assurance and general annuity business (section 431F ICTA)===
+===Basic life assurance and general annuity business===
+Basic life assurance and general annuity business is defined as being life assurance business not fitting within any other category of business under section 431F ICTA. It is often abbreviated to BLAGAB. BLAGAB is taxed on the so-called "I minus E basis" (i.e. the company is taxed on its investment return minus its expenses of management). The I minus E basis raises the UK Exchequer more revenue than it would get if it were taxed on a trading basis. This is because a trading computation would tax '''P'''remiums plus '''I'''nvestment return minus '''E'''xpenses minus '''C'''laims, and the expectation is that policy holder claims will be greater than the premiums they pay, as policy holders tend to hold life assurance policies as an investment that they hope will grow. To ensure the Exchequer does not lose out in a year where a trading basis would yield greater tax revenues, '''E''' (expenses of management) is restricted so the I minus E cannot be lower than the measure of trading profits, with any restricted E being carried forward and deemed to be E of the subsequent period.
+Before 1 January 1992, there were separate tax computations for basic life assurance business and for general annuity business, since then the two categories have been combined into BLAGAB.
-Basic life assurance and general annuity business is defined as being life assurance business not fitting within any other category of business. It is often abbreviated to BLAGAB. BLAGAB is taxed on the so called [[I minus E basis]] (ie the company is taxed on its investment return minus its expenses of management). The I minus E basis raises the UK Exchequer more revenue than it would get if it were taxed on a trading basis. This is because a trading computation would tax '''P'''remiums plus '''I'''nvestment return minus '''E'''xpenses minus '''C'''laims, and the expectation is that policy holder claims will be greater than the premiums they pay, as policy holders tend to hold life assurance policies as an investment that they hope will grow. To ensure the Exchequer does not lose out in a year where a trading basis would yield greater tax revenues, '''E''' (expenses of management) is restricted so the I minus E cannot be lower than the measure of trading profits, with any restricted E being carried forward and deemed to be E of the subsequent period.
+Capital redemption business written since 31 December 1937 has been treated as though it were BLAGAB from the first accounting period of a company ending on or after 1 July 1999. Before then, it was treated as a separate business taxed on an I minus E basis.
-Before [[1 January]] [[1992]], there were separate tax computations for basic life assurance business and for general annuity business, since then the two categories have been combined into BLAGAB.
+===Pension business===
-Capital redemption business written since [[31 December]] [[1937]] has been treated as though it were BLAGAB from the first accounting period of a company ending on or after [[1 July]] [[1999]]. Before then, it was treated as a separate business taxed on an I minus E basis.
+The concept of pension business, in section 431B ICTA, was introduced in the Finance Act 1956, which was introduced as a tax-advantaged way of saving for retirement.  The tax advantage comes through taxing it on a trading profit basis rather than on an I minus E basis.  The precise definition of what it constitutes is closely defined by statute so that only schemes approved by the Government qualify for the tax advantages.  Pension business includes business relating both to the accrual of pension benefits whilst the policy holder is working and pensions in payment. Pension business includes reinsurance of pension business.
+'''Background to Pensions:'''
-===Pension business (section 431B ICTA)===
+Lifetime allowance: There is a limit on the value of retirement benefits that one can draw from the approved pension schemes before tax penalties apply.  That limit is called the lifetime allowance.
+Introduced at A-day an individual is allowed to take benefits from their Pension up to the Lifetime allowance limit.  Any Benefits taken that exceed this Lifetime allowance will be subject to a tax charge.
-The concept of "pension business" was introduced in the Finance Act 1956, which introduced it as a tax-advantaged way of saving for retirement. The tax advantage comes through taxing it on a trading profit basis rather than on an I minus E basis. The precise definition of what it constitutes is closely defined by statute so that only schemes approved by the Government qualify for the tax advantages. Pension business includes business relating both to the accrual of pension benefits whilst the policy holder is working and pensions in payment. Pension business includes reinsurance of pension business.
+A-DAY (26 April 2006): The changes were intended to make pensions less rigid and easier to understand, in a bid to encourage individuals to take control of their own pension Provision and to rationalise the British tax system as applied to pension schemes
-===Life reinsurance business (section 431C ICTA)===
+==See also==
-Life reinsurance business is broadly just that: the reinsurance of life assurance business, but there are some exceptions. The concept of life reinsurance business was introduced in 1995 as part of an anti-avoidance measure. Companies writing basic life assurance and general annuity business were reinsuring their business with reinsurers, typically in Bermuda, but sometimes to another UK company or to another country that would not be taxed on its investment return. Later on they would receive reinsurance recoveries equal to the premiums the UK company paid plus investment return, minus the expenses and profits of the Bermudian reinsurer. The UK company would therefore have converted taxable investment return into a reinsurance recovery and would not be taxed on the reinsurance recovery.
+* [[Insurance in the United States]]
+* [[Insurance in Australia]]
+== References ==
-The 1995 Finance Act changed the law to impose an imputed investment return on the UK company. In order to avoid double taxation, a UK company reinsuring this business needed to not be taxed on the same investment return again: therefore "life reinsurance business" was born. There are exemptions to the rules for UK companies within the same group with 90% common ownership, where the imputed investment return would be negligible or nil, and where the reinsurer is in the [[European Union]] and is taxed on a regime that produces a result equivalent to I minus E.
+{{reflist}}
+{{Insurance}}
+{{Economy of the United Kingdom}}
+{{DEFAULTSORT:Insurance In The United Kingdom}}
+[[Category:Insurance in the United Kingdom| ]]
 [[Category:Insurance law]]
-[[Category:United Kingdom law]]
+[[Category:Law of the United Kingdom]]
 [[Category:Corporate taxation in the United Kingdom]]