Argentine Government Drops Crypto Legalizing Opportunity From Omnibus Bill

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The Argentine government, presided by Javier Milei, has resolved to drop the tax opportunities for crypto in the omnibus bill presented to Congress. The bill allowed taxpayers to declare the ownership of some previously undeclared assets, with crypto also included, reducing the payments and fees for this task.

Argentine Government Excludes Crypto Opportunities From Omnibus Bill

The Argentine government has withdrawn the opportunities for declaring ownership of certain assets, including crypto, from the omnibus bill presented to Congress this month. The bill, titled “Law of Bases and Starting Points for the Freedom of Argentines,” seeks to advance reforms in several areas, including getting legislative powers for President Javier Milei, who could take action directly in several fields, sidestepping Congress.

Guillermo Francos, minister of interior, stated that the decision to withdraw these proposals derived from the lack of consensus in Congress regarding this part of the bill. According to local sources, Francos stated:

The proposal is aimed at generating freedom for economic development. It was essential to get this out quickly. The tax part was smaller and delayed treatment.

The tax determination of the bill allowed Argentine citizens to declare ownership of previously undeclared assets (including crypto), paying 0% for the first $100,000 in value of these assets and up to 15% for the remaining undeclared assets.

In Argentina, only holding cryptocurrencies does not generate a tax obligation. However, selling cryptocurrency and obtaining earnings for this sale is a tax event, according to Marcos Zocaro, an Argentine accountant.

Nonetheless, the Argentine Tax watchdog AFIP recognizes cryptocurrencies as a financial asset, and as such, they must pay a tax percentage that differs according to the location of the assets. The tax base will be determined by the latest market value calculated on December 31 of each year.

The bill is seeking consensus and undergoing significant changes for its approval in Congress. Previously, Milei issued an emergency executive order that also deregulated major sectors of Argentine life, allowing lease contracts to be denominated and settled in bitcoin.

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