Section 17:48E-46.13 - Initial and annual assessmentsa. Following regulatory approval pursuant to section 5 of P.L. 2020, c. 145(C.17:48E-46.5) and the establishment of a mutual holding company, the mutual holding company, or any affiliates benefiting from the establishment of a mutual holding company, shall pay an initial assessment to the State Treasury in the amount of $600,000,000 by June 1, 2022 if the effective time precedes June 1, 2022. If the effective time is later than June 1, 2022, the initial assessment shall be due by June 1 of the calendar year following the effective time. The initial assessment shall be a one-time, nonrecurring State business tax on the mutual holding company and its affiliates.b. Following the initial assessment, and subject to subsections c. and d. of this section, the mutual holding company, or any affiliates benefiting from the establishment of a mutual holding company, shall pay a limited duration business tax by June 1 of each calendar year beginning with the calendar year following the initial assessment, and for a period of seventeen years. The total assessment, including both the initial and annual assessments, shall not exceed $1,250,000,000. The annual assessments represent a limited duration state business tax on the mutual holding company and its affiliates' business payable by the mutual holding company or any affiliates benefiting from the establishment of a mutual holding company, and shall be based on the following schedule with earned premiums defined consistent with 45 C.F.R. 158.130:(1) For annual assessment 1, 20 percent of the reorganized insurer's earned premiums for the calendar year preceding that assessment, with the assessment not to exceed $100,000,000.(2) For annual assessments 2 through 11, 5 percent of the reorganized insurer's earned premiums for the calendar year preceding a given year's assessment, with each year's assessment not to exceed $25,000,000.(3) For annual assessments 12 through 17, 10 percent of the reorganized insurer's earned premiums for the calendar year preceding a given year's assessment, with each year's assessment not to exceed $50,000,000.c. The mutual holding company shall not pay any portion of the annual assessment for a given calendar year if the mutual holding company's system-wide health risk-based capital authorized control level would fall below 550 percent based on the standards for risk based capital for health organizations as adopted by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners following the payment as applied against the prior calendar year's risk based capital, or if in the opinion of any nationally recognized statistical rating organization, the group credit rating of the mutual holding company would not be considered investment grade. The commissioner shall determine that the mutual holding company's system-wide health risk-based capital authorized control level would fall below 550 percent before payments shall be deferred pursuant to this subsection and paragraph (1) of subsection d. of this section. Neither the insurance company subsidiaries nor the reorganized insurer shall make dividends or distributions to the mutual holding company or any subsidiaries thereof until such time as the annual assessment deferred pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsection d. of this section is satisfied.d.(1) If the mutual holding company does not pay the annual assessment for a given calendar year pursuant to subsection c. of this section, the annual assessment that was not paid shall be deferred to the subsequent calendar year, which shall be the deferral date for the deferred annual assessment, with all subsequent annual assessments pursuant to subsection b. of this section also deferred by another calendar year so that no two annual assessments are due in the same calendar year. If an annual assessment is deferred, that annual assessment shall not be required by law to be paid until the deferral date.(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (1) of this subsection to the contrary, the assessment years pursuant to subsection b. of this section shall not be extended beyond, and the payment obligation pursuant to this section shall cease to exist after, the date that is 25 years from the effective time.e. The initial assessment is a one-time business tax imposed on the mutual holding company system and the annual assessment is a limited duration business tax imposed on the mutual holding company system based on the reorganized insurer's business. The assessment of additional taxes, penalties and interest shall be as provided by the "State Uniform Tax Procedure Law,"R.S. 54:48-1 et seq.; provided that no interest shall accrue or penalty shall be levied on a deferred annual assessment.Added by L. 2020, c. 145, s. 13, eff. 12/23/2020.