The CEO of Brazilian cryptocurrency firm Grupo Bitcoin Banco has claimed 25,000 Bitcoins (BTC) — a staggering $209 million as of press time — on a tax filing, while also saying his firm is unable to pay out customer funds as the result of a hack. The tax document was shared with Cointelegraph by an individual close to Brazil’s tax authority, the Department of Federal Revenue (RFB), who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons. According to the document, the exchange’s CEO, Claudio Oliveira,claimed his crypto holdings in a 2018 filing with the RFB. Although the document is genuine, it …

Just a few months ago in July 2019, the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) sent approximately 10,000 letters to cryptocurrency holders regarding their crypto holdings. The letters detailed that recipients may not have reported their transactions properly, or failed to report income and pay taxes on their digital currency transactions. The IRS asked the recipients to check their reports and submit delinquent returns or file amended returns according to specific requirements. According to the letters, the reports must be “true, correct and complete” in order to be approved by the IRS. But how can the IRS know the submitted …

United States-based accounting firm H&R Block has begun serving as an intermediary between crypto users and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) after the agency began sending letters to crypto traders who may have failed to report income and pay taxes. According to a Sept. 24 news release, H&R Block has rolled out a new service targeting people who have engaged in digital currency transactions, specifically providing consultations on how to properly file their cryptocurrency gains and losses on tax returns. The IRS expands efforts involving virtual currency The IRS initially sent letters to 10,000 crypto investors, asking some to amend …

The Portugal Tax Authority (PTA) announced last month that cryptocurrency trading and payments in crypto would not be subject to value-added tax (VAT). According to the announcement, cryptocurrency payments that are subject to the provision of services under Article 9 (27) (d) of Portuguese tax law are exempt from VAT. This applies only to individuals, as Portugal-based businesses are still subject to several taxes such as VAT, social security and income taxes. This announcement follows another Portuguese tax benefit for cryptocurrency traders: Ruling 5717/2015, which declares that proceeds from the sale of cryptocurrencies for individuals will be tax free. According …

Some in the crypto community have embraced Puerto Rico, which seems to have done a good job of promoting itself. But is it for you? I can only address the tax issues, not anything else. To a large extent, the tax issues depend on what kind of income you will generate, whether personal or business, from where you generate it, and when the income — or even the appreciation in assets — occurs. Ideally, you want all income and all gain to come from Puerto Rico, and all the income and even the appreciation in assets to occur after you …

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), the country’s tax authority, is auditing the corporate tax returns filed by QuadrigaCX, the now-defunct Canadian cryptocurrency exchange. CRA’s request for documents and information is significant According to an article by the Globe and Mail on Sept. 16, QuadrigaCX is now being audited by the CRA which has requested the tax returns from Oct. 1, 2015, to Sept. 30, 2018. The Canadian exchange has been generating headlines ever since its CEO, Gerald Cotten, was declared dead in India without ever revealing the passwords to access the company’s cryptocurrency reserves. Bankruptcy trustee EY, which oversees the …

Over the past month, we have seen the IRS, the tax collecting agency of the United States, send out more than 10,000 warning and action letters to suspected cryptocurrency holders and traders who may have misreported digital assets on their tax returns. Letters like the 6174-A, 6173 and CP2000 have appeared in the mailboxes of cryptocurrency traders throughout the country, and the crypto tax software company that I run has seen an influx of frantic customers coming to us for tax help out of fear of penalties. The problem here is that the IRS doesn’t have all of the necessary …

French economy minister Bruno Le Maire said on Sept. 12 that French authorities won’t tax crypto-to-crypto trades, but will tax when cryptocurrencies are sold for fiat currency. Bloomberg Tax reported on Le Maire’s declarations on Sept. 12. Per the report he noted: “We believe that the moment the gains are converted into traditional money is the right time to assess tax.” Easier transaction tracking The author of the report also explains that such an approach to taxing cryptocurrency trading would help with tracking transactions, which he believes to be a common challenge in crypto-to-crypto trading. Le Maire also reportedly addressed …

A Californian politician has become the first elected official to use cryptocurrency to purchase cannabis in the United States. A press release shared with Cointelegraph on Sept. 11 revealed that Berkely City Councilmember Ben Bartlett used Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and the stablecoin Universal Dollar (UPUSD) to make the purchase at Ohana Cannabis, a dispensary in Emeryville, CA. The purchase was part of a live demonstration of crypto-financial technology conducted by blockchain company Cred and the Blockchain Advocacy Coalition. The latter is a group of California-based businesses and consumers that work to promote transparent blockchain legislation at a state and national …

Cryptocurrency miners in Iran will be eligible for a tax exemption if they agree to repatriate their overseas earnings, according to Iran's National Tax Administration (INTA). Per a report by local English-lanuage news daily Financial Tribune, INTA introduced a repatriation tax exemption similar to the one it offers non-oil exporters. INTA considers cryptocurrency mining a taxable business, like any other industrial activity, and as such, believes it should follow the requirements set by the Central Bank of Iran in repatriating their overseas earnings. Per the Financial Tribune, Iranian miners think that the government’s concerns over the possibility of capital flight …

Willful and non-willful tax flubs are different. Taxes are complex, and innocent tax mistakes can often be forgiven — maybe with no penalty. Even if there is a penalty, non-willful is vastly lower than willful. In a criminal tax case, this fundamental dichotomy can mean the difference between innocence or guilt, freedom or incarceration. But penalties in civil cases can be plenty bad — and most tax cases are civil — and to the United States Internal Revenue Service, bad intent may not be bad at all. With crypto, the IRS has said it is digging hard, investigating both tax …

Portugal’s Tax Authority has clarified that both cryptocurrency trading and payments in crypto will not be taxed in the country, Cointelegraph en Español reported on Aug. 27. According to a report published on Aug. 26 by Portuguese business newspaper Jornal de Negócios, the Portuguese Tax and Customs Authority have confirmed that crypto transactions or payments are exempt from Value Added Tax (VAT). The agency reportedly provided the clarification to a local crypto mining company, publishing an official ruling document. In the document, the authority states that the exchange of crypto for fiat money is free of VAT, adding that crypto …