This revenue procedure provides the domestic asset/liability percentages
and domestic investment yields needed by foreign life insurance companies
and foreign property and liability insurance companies to compute their minimum
effectively connected net investment income under section 842(b) of the Internal
Revenue Code for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2003. Instructions
are provided for computing foreign insurance companies’ liabilities
for the estimated tax and installment payments of estimated tax for taxable
years beginning after December 31, 2003. For more specific guidance regarding
the computation of the amount of net investment income to be included by a
foreign insurance company on its U.S. income tax return, see Notice 89-96,
1989-2 C.B. 417. For the domestic asset/liability percentage and domestic
investment yield, as well as instructions for computing foreign insurance
companies’ liabilities for estimated tax and installment payments of
estimated tax for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2002, see Rev.
Proc. 2004-55, 2004-34 I.R.B. 343.
.01 DOMESTIC ASSET/LIABILITY PERCENTAGES FOR 2004. The Secretary determines
the domestic asset/liability percentage separately for life insurance companies
and property and liability insurance companies. For the first taxable year
beginning after December 31, 2003, the relevant domestic asset/liability percentages
are:
121.7 percent for foreign life insurance companies, and
173.6 percent for foreign property and liability insurance companies.
.02 DOMESTIC INVESTMENT YIELDS FOR 2004. The Secretary is required
to prescribe separate domestic investment yields for foreign life insurance
companies and for foreign property and liability insurance companies. For
the first taxable year beginning after December 31, 2003, the relevant domestic
investment yields are:
5.5 percent for foreign life insurance companies, and
3.7 percent for foreign property and liability insurance companies.
.03 SOURCE OF DATA FOR 2004. The section 842(b) percentages to be used
for the 2004 tax year are based on tax return data following the same methodology
used for the 2003 year.
SECTION 3. APPLICATION — ESTIMATED TAXES
To compute estimated tax and the installment payments of estimated tax
due for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2003, a foreign insurance
company must compute its estimated tax payments by adding to its income other
than net investment income the greater of (i) its net investment income as
determined under section 842(b)(5), that is actually effectively connected
with the conduct of a trade or business within the United States for the relevant
period, or (ii) the minimum effectively connected net investment income under
section 842(b) that would result from using the most recently available domestic
asset/liability percentage and domestic investment yield. Thus, for installment
payments due after the publication of this revenue procedure, the domestic
asset/liability percentages and the domestic investment yields provided in
this revenue procedure must be used to compute the minimum effectively connected
net investment income. However, if the due date of an installment is less
than 20 days after the date this revenue procedure is published in the Internal
Revenue Bulletin, the asset/liability percentages and domestic investment
yields provided in Rev. Proc. 2004-55 may be used to compute the minimum effectively
connected net investment income for such installment. For further guidance
in computing estimated tax, see Notice 89-96.
SECTION 4. EFFECTIVE DATE
This revenue procedure is effective for taxable years beginning after
December 31, 2003.
SECTION 5. DRAFTING INFORMATION
The principal author of this revenue procedure is Gregory A. Spring
of the Office of Chief Counsel (International). For further information regarding
this revenue procedure, contact Gregory A. Spring at (202) 622-3870 (not a
toll-free call), or write to the Internal Revenue Service, Office of the Associate
Chief Counsel (International), Attention: CC:INTL:BR5, 1111 Constitution Avenue,
N.W., IR-4554, Washington, D.C. 20224.
You can either: Search all IRS Bulletin Documents issued since January 1996, or Search the entire site. For a more focused search, put your search word(s) in quotes.