Customer Reviews

Federal Income Taxation of Insurance Companies (2nd Edition)

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With all due respect, I vehemently disagree with Mr. Rothberg's admonition that Emanuel Burstein's "Federal Income Taxation of Insurance Companies, 2nd Edition" is "too intense" for young children. Agreed, while children can marvel at the diverse range of insurance products and wonder at the complexity of the amortization of initial period acquisition costs, Mr. Burstein's unsentimental depiction of liabilities arising from mortality, morbidity and accident claims would reduce any boy or girl to tears, even without the graphic illustrations. Nevertheless, shielding children from a work of this magnitude because "they won't get the impact of the McCarran-Ferguson Act" or "they don't care about reciprocal flood insurance exchange arrangements" is tantamount to snatching a telescope from a curious lad. Parents, I urge you, in response to your child's innocent yet inevitable question, "Daddy, why are there separate tax rules for insurance companies?" - run, don't walk, to your cherished Burstein, and press it joyfully into youth's outstretched hand.

I hereby nominate this book for a Pulitzer Prize for best book of all time. The title only promises a learned discussion of taxing insurance companies, but it delivers so much more. Reading this book turned my life around. I now look at things differently. I see the world in a whole new way. Mr. Burstein has a point of view concerning his topic that extends beyond the narrow confines of taxation to take in all of life. Thank-you Emanuel Burstein for this magnificent work. I can't wait for the next edition.
Now for the particulars. The characters in this book, such as the IRS or the insurance companies, on a surface level are only large organizations. However, a careful reading will reveal that they represent much larger issues. The interaction of these large organizations is very complex. Out of this complexity Mr. Burstein finds ultimate truths that cannot be found anywhere else. To write more here would give away apparent "trade secrets" that can only be fully appreciated by a careful study of the entire volume. Therefore, to give justice to this great tome, I will only encourage potential readers to fulfill their potential in every possible way by interaction with Burstein's "Federal Income Taxation of Insurance Companies."
I have only one caveat. This book is too intense for young children. It will only benefit those who are old enough to understand its subtle meaning.