Tax crypto holdings when sold, not when exercised
Europe should harmonize crypto tax policy on crypto holdings to tax them only when sold to fiat / services, not when exercised (like in France!?!), so that it can compete globally in attracting top talent and entrepreneurs. Taxing crypto holdings at the point of exercise creates significant financial pressure for employees, founders and users, who may not have liquid assets to cover the tax. This discourages risk-taking, limits the appeal of startup equity, and ultimately stifles innovation.
Aligning taxation with when gains are realized (at the point of sale) would better reflect actual income, reduce financial risk, and level the playing field with countries like the US, which already implement such policies. This harmonisation would means Europe can attract the top talent in Europe and worldwide to launch and join crypto startups in Europe.
Log in to comment and vote
Comments1
Plum Pen
Nov 21, 2025
I’d challenge this, EU doesn’t currently have a general right to levy direct taxes like income or capital gains; that’s still mainly up to the member states.And from my more classical liberal view, I’d actually like it to stay that way.
However I agree with the premise, in many EU countries the current crypto tax rules make it very hard to use web3 products, and that absolutely dampens risk-taking and innovation.