A registered separate account, and any depositor of or underwriter for such account, shall be exempt from paragraph (4) of section 27(a) of the Act and paragraph (5) of section 27(h) of the Act as to payments under any variable annuity contract participating in such account which (1) is purchased in connection with a plan which meets the requirements for qualification under section 401 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended (Code), or the requirements for deduction of the employer's contributions under section 404(a)(2) of the Code, or (2) meets the requirements of section 403(b) of the Code, but such exemptions shall apply only to contributions or payments within the exclusion allowance for any employee under section 403(b) except as clause (3) hereof applies, or (3) permits no sales load deduction from any payment in excess of 9 per centum of such payment.