Portugal May Implement Capital Gains Tax for Cryptocurrency

Portugal’s minister of finance Fernando Medina said on Friday before a full sitting of Portugal’s parliament that crypto assets will soon be subject to capital gains taxes. He also mentioned that the Portuguese tax authorities are currently looking at cases in other countries to inform recommendations for regulation.

Fernando Medina said in a working session in parliament that his rationale for the tax came about by comparing Portugal to countries that “already have systems” in place. Additionally, Sapo reported that Medina noted that it doesn’t make sense for an asset that creates capital gains to not be taxed. He said:

Due to the fact that crypto was not taxed effectively, Portugal gained a reputation as one of the most attractive crypto tax havens in the world. It helps that Portugal is a country with good weather, beautiful cities, good food, wonderful beaches and a (somewhat) stable currency and government.

It remains to be seen whether the new tax will really become that deterrent to businesses, as it could take years for this to become law in Portugal. If the legislation goes into effect, all these companies and people with crypto are likely to move to the Portuguese island of Madeira, where the tax rules for crypto remain favourable and bitcoin will soon become legal tender.