Solana community votes to allocate to validators 100% priority fees, shifting away from the 50/50 burn and reward scheme.
Solana has passed the SIMD-0096 proposal, which allows network validators to be allocated 100% of priority fees.
This decision signifies a change from the previous framework, in which fees were shared 50/50 between rewarding validators and being burned.
Solana Approves 100% Priority Fee Allocation
A majority of 77% of voters supported the proposal in the most recent round of voting, indicating that validators favor it.
The purpose of this modification is to augment the incentives given to validators, the nodes accountable for ensuring the dependability and efficiency of the network.
Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana Labs, stated that this update could enable stake pools with programmatically frozen tokens to acquire all gratuities and priority fees.
Because the present version of Solana’s Mainnet-Beta software does not support this new allocation model, its implementation will require several months.
In addition to this feature, subsequent releases (1.17 and 1.18) ought to incorporate additional improvements, such as the SIMD-0123 suggestion, which aims to enhance the efficiency of block reward distribution.
Consequently, this delay generates an opportunity for the fee distribution system to undergo additional refinement and integration, as suggested in the SIMD-0123.
Community Response and Implications
Users who require expedited transaction processing, particularly during peak hours, impose priority fees on the Solana network.
Validators assign priority to these transactions to ensure the network’s effective operation.
Before this, 50% of these fees were burned, an action that some considered to have a deflationary effect on the Solana token.
Under the proposed framework, validators will receive the entirety of priority fees. While this may potentially bolster their earnings, it may also give rise to apprehensions regarding the proliferation of tokens, which could lead to inflation.
As a result, the resolution has generated contrasting responses among members of the Solana community.
The possibility that the transition from fee burning to fee-for-entirely validator compensation will generate inflationary pressures has been a concern for some members and validators.
Stakewiz, a validator, has forecasted a 4.6% increase in the value of Solana tokens concerning token expansion and inflation.
They have emphasized the importance of a progressive activation process and the concurrent activation of SIMD-0096 and SIMD-0123 to prevent negative financial consequences.
However, some community members advocate for the modification, contending that it will eliminate opaque off-chain side transactions and establish a more equitable and transparent fee structure.
Solana Price Trend
In light of this development, the Solana price (SOL) price has experienced a favorable shift, trading at $170.53, an increase of 5.56% from the intraday low.
At the same time, the 24-hour trading volume and market cap of SOL increased by 9.47% and 5.59%, respectively, to $2,633,171,068 and $76,662,006,334 respectively.