Taxation and Life Insurance: A Theoretical Analysis*

Taxation of life insurance is generally considered to pose special and complex problems. These are alleged to stem from the special nature of life insurance. This paper challenges the notion that there is anything inherently special about the economics of life insurance and disputes the claim that it warrants special tax treatment. A model of the life insurance firm is presented and the appropriate basis for taxing life insurance companies and their policyholders is derived. This is compared with the system of taxation currently operating in Australia.