President Once Again Takes Aim at Reinsurers
For the sixth time, President Barack Obama has included language in his annual budget that would end some of the tax benefits enjoyed by reinsurers. Market insiders don’t believe it will gain support from the Republican-controlled Congress.
For the sixth time, President Barack Obama is taking aim at reinsurers, including in his fiscal-year 2016 budget language that would end some of the tax benefits they enjoy. Market insiders, however, believe the administration’s latest attempt to tax foreign reinsurers will once again receive little support from members of Congress.
In his budget presented on Monday, Feb. 2, the president proposed to make reinsurers pay a 14% one-off tax on cash held offshore and a 19% tax on future earnings. If passed, the proposal would make the cost of reinsurance, especially catastrophic coverage, more expensive.
According to insurance ratings company A.M. Best Co., the proposal is fielding strong opposition from member of Congress representing states that have considerable exposure to natural catastrophes. “Their concern is that a tax increase could lead to increased costs for (re)insurance coverage, or possibly a decrease in allocated (re)insurance capacity for less profitable risks,” the firm stated, in part. “Accordingly, any resolution of this issue could be years away.”
According to an economic study by the Tax Foundation’s Center of Federal Tax Policy, the president’s measure and similar legislation proposed by Reps. Richard Neal (D-Mass.) and Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J) would cost the economy more than four dollars for every dollar raised. The study also projected that over the long term, the United States’ GDP would experience $1.35 billion in losses, which is approximately twice the revenue it would collect.
“The proposal is well thought out and serious, but ultimately mistaken on the policy merits,” the report states, in part. “While the deduction eliminated is neatly matched with income exclusion, there are substantial drawbacks to the proposal.”
In recent years, Democrats and Republicans have fought over ways to tax the huge stockpiles of cash held abroad by U.S. companies. Democrats want these companies to pay the current U.S. corporate tax rate of 35% on overseas profits, which Republicans have fought. However, Senator Rand Paul has signaled his support for a 6.5% tax.
“If anything were passed, it would probably be the 6.5% tax, which would still make the non-controlled foreign corps. a favorable alternative, especially for producers way above the small casualty insurance company threshold premium of $1.2 million per year,” noted Jim Smith, chairman of SouthwestRe. “I think the consensus is that with a Republican Congress and Democratic President, not much of anything is going to happen, and this proposed tax increase has even less chance than other bills.”
More Auto Finance

Automotive Consumers Sink Further in Debt
Most financing metrics hit records in the second quarter as more buyers locked themselves into long terms and high monthly payments.
Read More →
Porsche Financial Services Shifts Structure
After 36 years with Porsche, the Financial Services Chief Financial Officer Konrad Riedl is retiring, and the department is realigning its management structure.
Read More →
Tariffs Could Raise Insurance Premiums
As U.S. import tariffs affect repair costs, consumers might find it more affordable to replace a damaged vehicle, according to recent Insurify tariff analysis.
Read More →
Smaller Loans, Longer Terms
The youngest generation of car buyers is more likely to finance less expensive vehicles, more than half of generation Z consumers borrowing less than $25,000.
Read More →
New Cars a Tad More Affordable
May averages show that combined circumstances gave auto consumers slightly better buying power for the month, though average prices were up year-over-year.
Read More →
First-Quarter Sees Long Auto Loan Growth
Experian data show more consumers are tapping the method, along with refinancings, to afford buying. Meanwhile, subprime borrowers are getting more access.
Read More →
Mastering Credit Friction
In this video, Josh Krach explains how to turn credit friction into an advantage.
Read More →
April Less Affordable
Based on prices, reduced incentives and slower household income growth, consumers found it more challenging to buy new last month, Cox Automotive reported.
Read More →
Auto Lenders, Consumers on a Tightrope
April borrowing data shows that more consumers are bending over backward to buy vehicles, though subprime lending cooled off for the month.
Read More →
Toyota Financial Services President Replaced
Scott Cooke has served in various roles with Toyota Financial Services for over 20 years, including president and CEO, which he retires from on June 30.
Read More →