Tax fairness and cryptocurrency

Abstract

Reluctance to pay taxes is a natural feature of man. Given the above, it is not surprising that taxpayers are constantly looking for all possible ways to avoid taxation. The legislator, realizing the above, introduces a number of regulations aimed at counteracting dishonest actions of taxpayers. In the context of cryptocurrencies, these are in particular solutions aimed at limiting anonymity in the circulation of cryptocurrencies. The taxpayers, taking advantage of the fact that trading in cryptocurrencies is very specific, complicated and partially anonymous, try to outsmart the tax authorities and pay no taxes on income from such transactions. Also, the fact that until January 1, 2019, there was no regulation regarding the taxation of cryptocurrencies, and the introduced regulation also raises many doubts, does not encourage taxpayers to honestly settle accounts with tax authorities. Tax authorities, on the other hand, do not have the tools that would enable them to counteract taxpayers’ dishonesty effectively, what leads to the depletion of tax liabilities.