§ 6014. Tax on premiums collected

(a) Each captive insurance company shall pay to the Commissioner of Taxes on or before March 15 of each year a tax at the rate of 38-hundredths of one percent on the first 20 million dollars and 285-thousandths of one percent on the next 20 million dollars and 19-hundredths of one percent on the next 20 million dollars and 72-thousandths of one percent on each dollar thereafter on the direct premiums collected or contracted for on policies or contracts of insurance written by the captive insurance company during the year ending December 31 next preceding, after deducting from the direct premiums subject to the tax the amounts paid to policyholders as return premiums which shall include dividends on unabsorbed premiums or premium deposits returned or credited to policyholders; provided, however, that no tax shall be due or payable as to considerations received for annuity contracts.

(b) Each captive insurance company shall pay to the Commissioner of Taxes on or before March 15 of each year a tax at the rate of 214-thousandths of one percent on the first 20 million dollars of assumed reinsurance premium, and 143-thousandths of one percent on the next 20 million dollars and 48-thousandths of one percent on the next 20 million dollars and 24-thousandths of one percent on each dollar thereafter. However, no reinsurance tax applies to premiums for risks or portions of risks that are subject to taxation on a direct basis pursuant to subsection (a) of this section. No reinsurance premium tax shall be payable in connection with the receipt of assets in exchange for the assumption of loss reserves and other liabilities of another insurer under common ownership and control if such transaction is part of a plan to discontinue the operations of such other insurer, and if the intent of the parties to such transaction is to renew or maintain such business with the captive insurance company. No reinsurance premium tax shall be payable in connection with the receipt of assets in exchange for the assumption of loss reserves and other liabilities of a captive insurance company’s parent or affiliates if the intent of such exchange is to renew or maintain such business with the captive insurance company.

(c)(1) The annual minimum aggregate tax to be paid by a captive insurance company calculated under subsections (a) and (b) of this section shall be $7,500.00. The annual maximum aggregate tax to be paid by a captive insurance company calculated under subsections (a) and (b) of this section shall be $200,000.00.

(2) The annual minimum aggregate tax to be paid by a sponsored captive insurance company shall be $7,500.00 and shall apply to the sponsored captive insurance company as a whole and not to each protected cell; such cells shall not be subject to the minimum tax.

(3) The annual maximum tax to be paid by a protected cell shall be as calculated under subdivision (1) of this subsection. The annual maximum tax to be remitted by a sponsored captive insurance company shall be the aggregate of the tax liabilities of each protected cell.

(d) A captive insurance company failing to make returns as required by 32 Vt. Stat. Ann. chapter 211 or failing to pay within the time required all taxes assessed by this section shall be subject to the provisions of 32 V.S.A. § 3202.

(e) Subject to the provisions of subsection (c) of this section, two or more captive insurance companies under common ownership and control shall be taxed as though they were a single captive insurance company.

(f) As used in this section:

(1) “Common ownership and control” shall mean ownership and control of two or more captive insurance companies by the same person or group of persons.

(2) “Ownership and control” shall mean:

(A) in the case of a stock corporation, the direct or indirect ownership of 80 percent or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation;

(B) in the case of a mutual or nonprofit corporation, the direct or indirect ownership of 80 percent or more of the surplus and the voting power of such corporation;

(C) in the case of a limited liability company, the direct or indirect ownership of 80 percent or more of the membership interests in the limited liability company;

(D) in the case of a sponsored captive insurance company, for purposes of this section a protected cell shall be treated as a separate captive insurance company owned and controlled by the protected cell’s participant, but only if:

(i) the participant is the only participant with respect to such protected cell; and

(ii) the participant is the sponsor or is affiliated with the sponsor of the sponsored captive insurance company through common ownership and control.

(g) The tax provided for in this section shall constitute all taxes collectible under the laws of this State from any captive insurance company, and no other occupation tax or other taxes shall be levied or collected from any captive insurance company by the State or any county, city, or municipality within this State, except meals and rooms taxes, sales and use taxes, and ad valorem taxes on real and personal property used in the production of income.

(h) Annually, 13 percent of the premium tax revenues collected pursuant to this section shall be transferred to the Department of Financial Regulation for the regulation of captive insurance companies under this chapter.

(i) [Repealed.]

(j) The tax provided for in this section shall be calculated on an annual basis, notwithstanding policies or contracts of insurance or contracts of reinsurance issued on a multiyear basis. In the case of multiyear policies or contracts, the premium shall be prorated for purposes of determining the tax under this section.

(k) A captive insurance company first licensed under this chapter on or after January 1, 2017 shall receive a nonrefundable credit of $5,000.00 applied against the aggregate taxes owed for the first two taxable years for which the company has liability under this section. (Added 1981, No. 28; amended 1985, No. 170 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 7, 1986; 1987, No. 47, § 3, eff. May 13, 1987; 1989, No. 72, § 2; 1989, No. 225 (Adj. Sess.), § 25(a); 1993, No. 89, §§ 15-17; 1993, No. 152 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. May 16, 1994; 1995, No. 180 (Adj. Sess.), § 38(a); 1999, No. 38, § 14, eff. May 20, 1999; 1999, No. 49, § 218; 1999, No. 84 (Adj. Sess.), § 11, eff. April 19, 2000; 2001, No. 71, § 13a, eff. June 16, 2001; 2003, No. 55, § 7, eff. June 4, 2003, see effective date notes set out below; 2007, No. 49, §§ 11, 15; 2009, No. 42, §§ 18, 21, eff. May 27, 2009; 2009, No. 42 , § 20; 2011, No. 21, § 20; 2011, No. 78 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. April 2, 2012; 2013, No. 29, § 49, eff. May 13, 2013; 2017, No. 73, § 30; 2017, No. 90 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. March 8, 2018; 2023, No. 12, § 2, eff. July 1, 2023.)