Joseph Wall, D. Larry Crumbley, Lewis B. Kilbourne, Caleb Blair
In this report, the authors discuss cryptocurrencies — especially bitcoin — and argue that because the IRS lists them as property, they are taxable, and because they are not as anonymous as once thought, they are not free from fraud. Cryptocurrencies are digital assets used as a medium of exchange, but they are not really coins. They can be sent electronically from one entity to another almost anywhere in the world with an internet connection. There are many cryptocurrencies in the market, including bitcoin, ethereum, ethereum classic, litecoin, nem, dash, iota, bitshares, monero, neo, and ripple. Many of the cryptocurrency networks are not controlled by a single entity or company; instead, a decentralized network of computers keeps track of the currency using a token ID. A ledger maintains a continuously growing list of date stamped transactions in real time called “blocks.” This technology is known as blockchain, which records, verifies, and stores transactions without a trusted central authority. The network instead relies on decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) with uncertain legal standing.
On August 1, 2017, the Bitcoin blockchain experienced a hard fork.The hard fork, spurred by concerns over Bitcoin's scalability, resulted in an entirely new blockchain and an accompanying new cryptocurrency: Bitcoin Cash.However, the new blockchain relies on the history of transactions recorded on the old blockchain.Consequently, at the time of the hard fork, every holder of Bitcoin could have received an equal amount of Bitcoin Cash.This sudden receipt of Bitcoin Cash poses a variety of tax problems.Should the acquired cryptocurrency qualify as income?If so, how should taxpayers calculate this income?Current income taxation law suggests the Bitcoin/Bitcoin Cash hard fork produced gain that, for the most part, was immediately realized.Thus, most taxpayers that received Bitcoin Cash at the time of the hard fork should have reported its value as income to the Internal Revenue Service.However, due to a variety of practical concerns, including a lack of sufficient analogous situations, cryptocurrency's volatility, and the IRS's refusal to follow relevant regulations related to the taxation of "treasure trove," perhaps it would be best to reconsider this conclusion and explore a solution that permits taxation of Bitcoin Cash upon a subsequent sale.
Financing local communities relies on a complex network of taxes, subsidies and loans. In the last decade the network has undergone numerous transformations .The reforms implanted in past years changed the systems of public finance substantially. Therefore, financial local autonomy is a term that frequently employed in the literature of federalism and decentralization, but it’s rarely defined conceptually in a careful way to empirical research. Generally it expresses the capacity of local communities to have their own revenue and expenditure budget, distinct from that of the state in which revenue can cover expenses incurred to meet their requirements. Indeed it is a highly valued feature of good governance. This paper is dedicated to a study in theory and practice. Starting with an overview on background of theoretical approach of local financial autonomy, then comparing the experiences of two European countries France, Italy and Morocco in the field. The purpose of this paper is to clarify the meaning of local financial autonomy and give a structured overview of the factors that may potentially influence the liberty of sub national authorities with regard of their own revenue and expenditure budget. Based on indicators and taking into account empirical evidences offered by official statistical datas, established in recent years for evaluating the position of administrative territorial units in relation to central government. The analyses prove that there is no universal model of local public finance applicable to all countries, because each has its own specific historical, cultural and linguistic particularities.
Nearly twenty-five years ago, the internet disrupted the world and started a new era of technological supremacy. Today, with the rise of cryptocurrencies and its underlying technology, we stand at the helm of another such revolution. Cryptocurrencies like bitcoin are decentralised, digital currencies relying on a peer-to-peer network which operates without the need for a third-party intermediary like the Reserve Bank of India. Coupled with lack of regulatory guidance, its unique technical aspects create huge complications in its taxation. While much ignorance still prevails in respect of cryptocurrencies, countries around the world have finally started taking notice and acting upon it. This paper focuses on what cryptocurrencies are, why they are important, and the prevailing regulatory structure concerning them. It overviews the complete landscape for taxation of cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, analysing the indirect and direct tax structure, particularly after the implementation of Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, while also addressing the issues concerning the evasionary practices. The findings help in assessing the regulatory aspects in light of the technological, economic, social and financial forces, and establishing a set framework for taxation of cryptocurrencies.
After granting permission to the Internal Revenue Service to serve a digital exchange company a summons for user information, the Federal District Court for the Northern District of California created some uncertainty regarding the privacy of cryptocurrencies. The IRS views this information gathering as necessary for monitoring compliance with Notice 2014-21, which classifies cryptocurrencies as property for tax purposes. Cryptocurrency users, however, view the attempt for information as an infringement on their privacy rights and are seeking legal protection. This Issue Brief investigates the future tax implications of Notice 2014-21 and considers possible routes the cryptocurrency market can take to avoid the burden of capital gains taxes. Further, this Issue Brief attempts to uncover the validity of the privacy claims made against the customer information summons and will recommend alternative actions for the IRS to take regardless of whether it succeeds in obtaining the information.
Taxes on real property have been identified as a source of income whose potential is currently underused by many countries. Indonesia has recently decentralized the property tax to the local level, but has this led to a better use of the tax potential from this source? A look at revenue figures provided by the Indonesian Ministry of Finance suggests that reforms may have boosted tax collection at an aggregate level. However, closer scrutiny of seven local cases reveals that local governments are far from tapping the full potential of the property tax. Most of them are struggling with deficient data, low public acceptance of the tax and huge amounts of tax liabilities. in addition, local governments shy away from the political costs associated with more active revenue mobilization.
Abstract Indigenous scholars and leaders have long been interested in reducing the role of the Canadian state in their political, economic, and social lives. This paper explores the extent to which digital currencies, such as Bitcoin or MazaCoin, might be used to facilitate Indigenous self-determination, political autonomy, and economic prosperity. Based on our review of the literature, we argue that cryptocurrencies demonstrate some potential for advancing these goals but that there are a number of potential roadblocks as well. Future research should investigate how Indigenous communities might use digital currencies and other related technologies to further their political, economic, and social goals.
Mar 28, 2017·Вісник Житомирського державного технологічного університету. Серія: Економічні науки // THE JOURNAL OF ZHYTOMYR STATE TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY. SERIES: ECONOMICS
The article analyses the directions of tax management in the context of budgetary decentralization. The paper aims to research tax management in the system of forming local budgets in the conditions of financial resources decentralization and analyze the current tools of tax management on the local level. In spite of a great number of researches, the issue of tax management in strengthening financial independence of local budgets is not enough studied; therefore, to reach financial independence of local communities it is necessary to adopt new normative and legal acts concerning decentralization of financial resources taking into account tax potential of each territorial community. The lack of financial resources causes the problem of optimal redistribution of power among central and local authorities. The author proposes the new mechanisms of solving the current problems on the example of local budget of the city of Uzgorod to contribute budgetary decentralization. The principal idea while conducting the reform of the budgetary process must be the adoption of certain changes in budgetary legislation which have to shift the mechanisms of budgetary financing and equating local budgets. The author concludes that the progressive vector of well-being increasing completely depends on the developed concept of regional economic policy. The article pays attention to the importance of taking into account the tax potential of a territory and characterizes the directions of strengthening financial independence of local government.
Following years of study the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) appears ready to adopt the recommendations of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and put in place a tax system that will stabilize revenue. A value added tax (VAT) and corporate income tax (CIT) are considered. A VAT Framework Agreement, that functions like the VAT Directive in the EU, has been agreed. Although new, the GCC VAT is very worthy of attention. From a tax policy perspective, it is making notable improvements to EU VAT design. The GCC VAT is (potentially) the world’s first real-time, blockchain-secured, multi-jurisdictional VAT. This is a remarkable accomplishment, and it indicates that the GCC has learned and applied a number of global VAT and technology lessons. One of the most visible flaws in the EU VAT is its openness to cross-border frauds – both intra-community and extra-community frauds. Missing traders are the problem. This is what the GCC has corrected. The perpetrators of tax fraud are not at all concerned about the specific tax law that they are abusing; they are looking solely at revenue streams, and the probability that they will get caught. As a result, when a fraudster finds a single activity that attacks multiple tax systems, it becomes a favored vector, and we find a nexus of frauds clustered around a unitary fraud operation. The government’s perspective is just the opposite of the fraudster’s. A focus on one kind of tax fraud may well resolve many more kinds of fraud. This appears to be what will happen as the GCC VAT is rolled out after January 1, 2018. The example considered in this paper involves the illicit cigarette trade. By resolving missing trader frauds, the GCC may (unintentionally) make a serious dent in the illicit cigarette trade and the theft of cigarette tax revenues (a manufacturer’s tax), precisely because the operation of the GCC VAT will increase the cigarette fraudster’s probability of detection. A “tax fraud nexus” that could easily be replicated in the GCC (if an unmodified EU-style VAT were to be adopted) can be seen in the Danish chocolate frauds. These frauds were examined in the first program of the three part Danish documentary, How Fraudulent Denmark (Sådan Svindles Danmark). The documentary appeared on DR TV January 12 and 25, and February 1, 2016. The fraud vehicle was candy that was re-sold by traders who purchased expired chocolate from the Mars Denmark Company. The primary fraud, re-packaging and then re-selling expired chocolate was carried out in a manner that attacked two tax regimes – the chocolate tax (a manufacturer’s tax) and the VAT (a consumption tax). This scheme funded organized crime; a different scheme examined in the second program of the documentary funded Islamic terrorists. The GCC seems to be very aware of the missing trader fraud discussed in the documentary. Technology innovations that will suppress it are set out in Article 71 of the GCC Framework Agreement. No other VAT Framework or VAT Directive has such a provision. One of the tax-related side benefits from resolving missing trader fraud in the GCC VAT will likely be the suppression of cigarette smuggling, and the recovery of important revenues from the cigarette tax, which has been raised to a 200% levy. If Denmark had a VAT provision similar to Article 71 it would likely solve the VAT and Chocolate Tax frauds considered in the documentary.
Rapidly changing digital landscape and emergence of disruptive technologies produces opportunities and challenges for private as well as public sector. New advances such as Blockchain, which is a distributed disintermediated platform that enables trade in value between non-trusted parties peer-to-peer, to markets and sectors of economy, which rely on trusted third parties. Looking beyond this issue into a nature of the technology that comprises blockchain, i.e. distributed ledgers and smart contracts, and the benefits of blockchain become apparent. The system operates an open, transparent, shared ledger of immutable transactions. The ledger is permanent and tamper-proof. Public and tax administration can benefit from the transparency and immutability, as it should increase compliance, accountability and the reduction of the opportunities for fraud. Smart contracts are essentially pieces of the self-executing code, which enable real-time automatic compliance, thus massively reducing the transaction costs and fraud. <br/>The article considers how blockchain technology is compatible with such taxes as VAT, payroll and transfer pricing; considers the necessary prerequisites of the supporting governance infrastructure and summarizes country initiatives.
Nearly twenty-five years ago, the internet disrupted the world and started a new era of technological supremacy. Today, with the rise of cryptocurrencies and its underlying technology we stand at the helm of another such revolution. Cryptocurrencies like bitcoin are peer-to-peer decentralized systems of digital currencies which operate without the need for a third-party intermediary like RBI. Coupled with lack of regulatory guidance, its unique technical aspects create huge complications in its taxation. While much ignorance still prevails in respect of cryptocurrencies, countries around the world have finally started taking notice and act upon it. This paper overviews the complete landscape of taxation of bitcoin-like cryptocurrencies. In this paper, an attempt is made to explain the indirect as well as direct tax structure concern cryptocurrencies, particularly after the implementation of Goods and Service Tax Act, 2017. The paper explains what bitcoins are, why are they important and whether it is necessary for the Government to regulate it. In addition, it discusses the prevailing regulatory structure as well as issues concerning evasionary practices in digital currencies. The findings help assess regulatory aspects in light of technological, economic, social and financial forces and establishes a set framework for taxation of cryptocurrencies.
The chapter examines the critical role of good governanceGovernance and robust financial management in building stable democratic states in the Pacific Islands. It explores the role of ICTs in public financial managementPublic financial management (PFM) as a means to this end and identifies some of the factors that lead to the success or failure of e-government initiatives in this core government activity. The chapter outlines the dominant PFM reform agendas in the Pacific, including those of the World BankWorld Bank and the IMF, which have been endorsed by the Pacific Islands ForumPacific Islands Forum Economic Ministers Meeting, and the role of PFM systems and effective audit systems in combating corruptionCorruption . The need for capacity buildingCapacity building and leadershipLeadership in embedding public financial management reforms are discussed and the chapter concludes with a discussion of some issues emerging from the chapter: the value of centralized versus decentralized systems and the tension between development assistance and sovereignty. The chapter argues that ownership of the public financePublic finance reform agenda by Pacific governments and a commitment to good governance is essential for sustainable PFM reforms in the region and for development.
The dichotomy between pay-as-you-go (taxation financing) and pay-as-you-use (debt financing) methods of financing municipal projects, etc, is the area of concern in this paper. While there arc advantaees and disadvantages to both forms, debt financing carries a considerable amount of baggage known as interest. Interest or usury has been a concern of economic and religious thinkers through the ages. Given the potentially negative effect this has on the debtor, Indonesia is forewarned as it decentralizes fiscal administration to local governments. Besides reliance on taxation financing, an alternative public debt option is highlighted.
This thesis analyzed the Single Social Assistance System ( SUAS ) in the municipality of Paracatu, Minas Gerais, with cut in the period 2006-2015 , with the difficulties that the municipality has found to consolidate this system, considering the co-financing of social assistance in the context of fiscal adjustment underway in the country .Therefore, the legal bases were considered that institutionalized social assistance as a public policy, as well as historical contexts and budget expenditures of the three levels of the federation, in the period studied, dedicated to an approach on the financial management of social assistance in Paracatu-MG. The need for recognition of social care as a social right and ensuring access to social assistance services for those who need it signal to a reality that tends to move away from historically constructed conceptions. Decided by the Fourth National Conference on Social Assistance 2003, the implementation of SUAS is guided by principles established by the Organic Law of Social Assistance (LOAS) , considered the National Social Assistance Policy (PNAS) and is organized by the Basic Operational Norm (NOB / SUAS). The SUAS must have the management of actions based on the political and administrative decentralization, participation and co-financing. Thus, under the co-financing, it was found that among all the entities of the federation, the states have shown little improvement in the share of funding for social assistance. O. It was also considered the debate surrounding the public fund, seeking to understand its functionality, especially in prioritizing times of economic policies, with strategies of fiscal adjustments. The results were identified that in Paracatu-MG, the main difficulties SUAS consolidation are most technical references teams are not complete; significant supply socioassitencias services by entities; lack of CRAS Volante to meet the population living in rural areas and lack of proper headquarters for the Specialized Reference Centers of Social Assistance (CRAS), Reference Center for Specialized Social Assistance (CREAS) and the Municipal Development and Social Action (SEDAS).
The Indonesian government imposed a policy of regional autonomy with the aim to facilitate local governments regulate local affairs independently. Tangerang City is one of the areas that implement decentralization policy and requires a lot of funds to finance regional development. The biggest potential possessed Tangerang City in the financing of regional expenditures derived from local taxes and are expected to provide the largest contribution in PAD. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of tax collection hotels, restaurants, billboards and parking, and its contribution to the PAD Tangerang City. Methods of data analysis in this research is descriptive analysis. The variables in this study are the ratio of the effectiveness and contribution analysis. Data analysis technique in this study is a quantitative analysis. Based on the analysis, the average effective tax collection hotel, restaurant tax, advertisement tax and parking tax years 2010-2014 is very effective and the average contribution collection hotel, restaurant tax, advertisement tax and Tangerang city parking tax years 2010-2014 is lack.
Tax is the main source of state revenues where the activity of countries such as national development funded by tax is difficult to do if there is no revenue from tax sector. To make the effectiveness of development equity, decentralization from the central government to supervise and arrange directly about affairs in the regions is needed that policy, planning, implementation, and financing are given to the regional government. The purpose of this research is to find the influence of the knowledge and understanding of taxpayers about rules taxation, the awareness of taxpayers, the quality of services, and the tax penalty toward taxpayers’ compliance. The method used in this research is explanatory research. Accidental sampling technique is used by spreading questionnaires to one hundred taxpayers’ vehicles registered in Kantor Bersama Samsat Kota Malang . The techniques of data analysis used are the statistical descriptive and multiple of linear regression analysis. The research result indicates that the variable of knowledge and understanding of taxpayers about the rules of taxation, awareness taxpayers, quality of services, and tax penalties have significant impact toward the compliance of taxpayers’ motor vehicles registered in the office . Keywords: taxpayers, tax revenue, local taxes, vehicles, compliance ABSTRAK Pajak adalah sumber utama dari penerimaan negara dimana kegiatan negara seperti pembangunan nasional yang dibiayai dari pajak sulit dilaksanakan jika tidak adanya penerimaan dari sektor pajak. Dalam rangka efektifitas pemerataan pembangunan, Disentralisasi dari pemerintah pusat untuk mengawasi serta mengatur secara langsung urusan urusan di daerah sangat dibutuhkan, sehingga kebijakan, perencanaan, pelaksanaan, dan pembiayaan diberikan kepada pemerintah daerah. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui pengaruh variabel pengetahuan dan pemahaman wajib pajak tentang peraturan perpajakan, kesadaran wajib pajak, kualitas pelayanan, dan sanksi perpajakan terhadap kepatuhan wajib pajak . Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah explanatory research. Acci dental sampling digunakan dalam penelitian ini dengan menyebarkan kuisioner kepada 100 orang wajib pajak kendaraan bermotor yang terdaftar di Kantor Bersama Samsat Kota Malang. Teknik analisis data yang digunakan yaitu analisis statistik deskriptif dan analisis regresi linear berganda. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa variabel pengetahuan dan pemahaman wajib pajak tentang peraturan perpajakan, kesadaran wajib pajak, kualitas pelayanan, dan sanksi perpajakan mempunyai pengaruh yang signifikan terhadap kepatuhan wajib pajak kendaraan bermotor yang terdaftar di Kantor Bersama Samsat Kota Malang. Kata Kunci: Wajib Pajak, Penerimaan Pajak, Pajak Daerah, Kendaraan Bermotor, Kepatuhan
At Bitcoin’s peak in November 2013, there were 93,000 global transactions made in a single day. These users purchased everyday items such as personal services, food, and real estate. This alone suggests that Bitcoin is not primarily used as a long-term investment tool, but rather is used as a currency and a vehicle for global transactions. Congress and the IRS should regulate it accordingly. Representative Stockman’s Virtual Currency Reform Act offered an attempt to negate the IRS decision and officially classify Bitcoin and other virtual currencies as currency instead of property. A tax reclassification would alleviate typical users’ many inconveniences caused by burdensome accounting and tax reporting. A reclassification would also allow and encourage the use of Bitcoin and other virtual currencies because imposing a sales tax on transactions similar to everyday currencies is a small change that most users would not find prohibitive or restrictive. While it is evident that there needs to be some form of IRS taxation of virtual currencies, attempting to classify Bitcoin according to existing tax principles is challenging and ineffective.\nAlthough this is new technology and subsequently uncharted territory for many doctrines of law, the technology should be embraced and encouraged to prosper. For example, typical sales tax on transactions made on the internet are currently an unsolved dilemma. It gets even trickier trying to throw virtual currencies into the mix. Between complex tax law, jurisdictional issues, and the constant globalization of our economy, challenging legal questions will arise. Classifying certain Bitcoin transactions for a sales tax instead of a capital gains and losses tax is the first step in the right direction toward answering these difficult questions and encouraging the use of Bitcoin and other virtual currencies to further global trade in the future.