Be careful of abusive 419(e) welfare benefit plans

Accounting Todaya stop to such egregious misrepresentations in
Be careful of abusive 419(e) welfare benefit plans2002 by issuing regulations and naming such plans
BY LANCE WALLACH AND RONALD H. SNYDERas "potentially abusive tax shelters" (or "listed
Oct. 22-Nov. 4., 2007transactions") that needed to be registered and
Life insurance agents and companies have alwaysdisclosed to the IRS.
tried to find ways of making costs paid byAnd what happened to the providers that were
business owners tax deductible.peddling Sections 419A(f)(5) and (6) life insurance
The situation became ridiculous a few years agoplans a few years ago? We recently found the
with outrageous claims about how Sectionsanswer: Most of them found a new life as
419A(f)(5) and (6) of the Internal Revenue Codepromoters of so-called "419(e)" welfare benefit
exempted employers from any tax-deductionplans.
limitations. Finally, the Internal Revenue Service put