Turkey dismisses plans to tax crypto and stock profits, considering a “very limited” transaction tax instead.
Turkey has rejected proposals to levy taxes on profits from securities and cryptocurrencies, but it has proposed a “very limited” transaction tax.
In an interview in Ankara, Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek stated that the government is contemplating a “very limited” transaction tax on the assets, as reported by Bloomberg.
Simsek declared, “Our objective is to ensure that no region remains untaxed to ensure fairness and efficiency in taxation,” without providing any indication of its potential extent. Turkey decreased its stock market profits tax rate from 10% to 0% in 2008.
The authorities in the country were preparing to implement a tax on gains from stock and cryptocurrency trading, according to Bloomberg on June 4. Minister Simsek is reported to have underscored the significance of accurately taxing all financial income during a meeting that took place over the weekend.
At present, Turkey lacks regulations that specifically address cryptocurrency taxation. Nevertheless, the nation is currently engaged in the process of establishing a legal framework for digital assets.
A new bill to regulate the crypto market was introduced by Turkey’s governing party on May 16. The bill mandates that crypto businesses obtain licenses and adhere to international standards, including regulation by capital markets commissions.
In order to cultivate a locally regulated ecosystem, the legislation also mandates the collection of revenue from crypto service providers and the prohibition of foreign crypto brokers.
The objective of the action, as per local media reports, is to resolve the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)’s concerns and remove the nation from the regulator’s “gray list.”
Turkey occupies the fourth position in the global cryptocurrency market in terms of estimated trading volume, as indicated by Chainanalysis data. In 2023, the country’s commerce volume was estimated to be $170 billion, surpassing economies such as Germany, Canada, Vietnam, Thailand, and Russia.
Since 2021, Turkish cryptocurrency proprietors are prohibited from conducting transactions with cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.