Advocacy in action blog

As the leading advocacy association for insurance and financial services professionals, NAIFA continues to work with policymakers at the federal and state levels on efforts to bolster American businesses. Most recently, NAIFA is one of only three insurance-related associations (along with the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America and the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents) to sign onto a letter sent to key members of the Senate and House of Representatives urging Congress to maintain the 20% deduction for qualified business income under Section 199A of the federal tax code.

A new report by the Congressional Budget Office provides a guide to understanding federal estate and gift taxes. These taxes affect only a small number of taxpayers (of 2.7 million Americans who died in 2016 only 5,500 left taxable estates, and in 2018 only 2,000 people paid gift taxes), but they may consider in planning for financial professionals working with affluent families or business owners. In 2021, estate values above an $11.7 million exemption are taxed at a 40% rate. “The same threshold and tax rate apply to gift taxes,” the report says.

The insurance industry in New Jersey faced a scare in mid-September when Senate President Steve Sweeney introduced S-2902, which would impose a tax on high-quantity processors of financial transactions at $0.0025 per transaction. The bill defines "high-quantity" as processors of 10,000 or more financial transactions through electronic infrastructure located in New Jersey during the year. There was speculation the funding mechanism would be attached to the state budget. Fortunately, the state budget was approved, and the transaction tax was not included.