Best’s Briefing: Tax Reform a Mixed Bag for Captives

Investment Weekly News

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Investment Weekly News -- Please replace the release with the following corrected version due to revisions to the headline and first paragraph.

The corrected release reads: BEST'S BRIEFING: TAX REFORM A MIXED BAG FOR CAPTIVES The impact of tax reform is generally a positive for U.S.-domiciled captives and a mixed bag for offshore captive insurance companies, though in some cases, it is a positive for offshore captives that have made the Section 953(d) election under the Internal Revenue Code, which allows them to be taxed as a U.S. corporation. However, according to a new A.M. Best briefing, some parent companies are considering alternative captive strategies because of the sweeping changes.

The intent of the Best's Briefing, "Tax Reform: No Impact on Captive Ratings Anticipated," is to outline how certain provisions of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act may affect captives, with the caveat that the vast differences in corporate formations, the ways in which business is transacted and the jurisdictions in which the companies operate makes a "one size fits all" assessment as to how tax reform has impacted captives is impracticable.

Although the new tax law changes apply to the 2018 tax year, the reduction in the corporate tax rate, along with the repeal of the alternative minimum tax, benefits captives in 2017 as the rate reduction required that captives revalue their deferred taxes at the new lower corporate tax rate of 21%.

To date, tax reform has not affected the Credit Ratings of A.M. Best-rated captives. In many cases, the reduced corporate tax rate has resulted in higher net income, but for others, changes to the business structure may have affected operating performance. U.S.-parented captives in foreign domiciles are working to achieve the most efficient solutions from an operations and cost perspective. Management teams considering strategic alternatives in the wake of tax reform continue to keep A.M. Best abreast as they contemplate changes to existing business or new corporate formations.

To access the full copy of this briefing, please visit http://www3.ambest.com/bestweek/purchase.asp?record_code=274749. A.M. Best is the world's oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit www.ambest.com. Copyright © 2018 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180618005758/en/