Crypto taxation worldwide

[JohnnyDoe]

There is no global standard in crypto taxation. Even the EU has no harmonization.
Here is a brief overview:

EUROPE​

Portugal

Capital gains often exempt if crypto is held over one year.
Short term activity can still be taxed as income.

Germany

Zero capital gains tax after one year.
Below one year, gains taxed as personal income, up to roughly 45%.

France

Flat tax around 30%, including social contributions.
Same logic used for stocks and other financial assets.

Spain

Progressive capital gains tax, roughly 19% to 28%.
No holding period exemption.

Austria

Flat 27.5% on crypto gains.

Sweden

Capital gains taxed around 30%.
Strict reporting and compliance.

Netherlands

No capital gains tax.
Annual wealth tax applied to an assumed return on total assets, including crypto.
Tax applies even without selling.

Bulgaria

Flat 10% capital gains tax.
One of the lowest rates in the EU.

Switzerland

Zero capital gains tax for private investors.
Professional trading activity taxed as income.
High compliance, high indirect tax collection.

Italy

Flat 33% capital gains tax from 2026.
No distinction between short and long term holding.
No exemption threshold.

Czechia

Starting in 2025/2026, Czechia exempts long-term crypto holdings from capital gains tax if held for more than 3 years. This applies to individuals selling or exchanging cryptocurrency, with a 40 million CZK limit on exempt income. For shorter holdings, gains are taxable at 15% or 23%.

NORTH AMERICA​

United States

Crypto treated as property.
Federal capital gains tax from 0 to 20% depending on income and holding period.
Long term holding rewarded.
State taxes may apply.

Canada

Only part of capital gains is taxable.
Effective rates roughly 15 to 50% depending on income and province.

ASIA​

Japan

Crypto taxed as miscellaneous personal income.
Top marginal rates exceed 50%.
One of the most punitive regimes globally.

Singapore

No capital gains tax for individual investors.
Trading businesses taxed, passive investors usually not.

Hong Kong

Generally no capital gains tax for individuals.
Frequent trading can trigger income classification.

Malaysia

Generally no capital gains tax for individuals.
Active trading may be reclassified as income.

Thailand

Capital gains from crypto are treated as assessable income for individuals.
Taxed under personal income tax rates, progressive up to 35%.
No long term holding exemption.

MIDDLE EAST AND OTHERS​

United Arab Emirates

Zero capital gains tax.

El Salvador

Zero on Bitcoin gains.

Bahamas

Zero capital gains tax.

---

From 2026 onward, most OECD countries will enforce automatic crypto reporting under the Crypto Asset Reporting Framework.
Balances and transactions will be reported by exchanges and custodians. Evasion becomes harder.

 

[Marty McFly]

those who sell their btc should be punished even harder than a 50% tax!

 

[Columbus]

Thailand has an exemption:

Thailand Approves 5-Year Tax Exemption on Crypto Profits | AIM Bangkok

Thailand's Royal Gazette has published a 5-year tax exemption on crypto profits. Learn the key rules for investors for 2025-2029.

aimbangkok.com

 

[JohnnyDoe]

Czechia has updated its tax regime

 

[Mercado4]

Expanding on the Canadian tax regime for crypto/capital gains per above:

First of all, Canada (same as the US) has 2 levels of income taxation - federal and provincial.

For 2025, the "base amount" on the federal level is C$16,129. Meaning anyone making less than this amount is not obligated to file at all. Most people do, as without filing the tax report they cannot apply for the crumbs from the table, err benefits from the Govt.

Second - each province has its own base amount which has nothing to do with the federal one. For example Alberta, where I used to live, has its base amount for 2025 at C$22,323.

So an Alberta individual making, say

C$15,000 will pay no income tax at all
C$20,000 will pay no provincial tax but will pay federal income tax on C$20,000-C$16,129


Now, the capital gains are not taxed per se in the sense that there would be a special, standalone, tax on capital gains.
Rather, 50% of your capital gains simply gets added to your regular income.
The 50% is usually referred to as the "inclusion rate" - and it was supposed to have been increased from 50% to 66% but that did not materialize.


So your tax rate on your capital gains simply depends on your marginal tax bracket where you are.

In one example, if you make say, $10,000 income in capital gains, and no other income, with the 50% inclusion rate you would have deemed net income of $5,000 so not tax payable at all.

On the other hand, if you make $100,000 a year, your capital gains amount - say the same as above - will be then again $5,000. However, the effective top federal tax rate will be 20.5% and then - depending on your province - in Alberta it would be 10%.

I am greatly oversimplifying it but just to want to make sure that the statement above re Canadian taxes on the capital gains is more descriptive.

Sources:
Tax rates and income brackets for individuals - Canada.ca

and
https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/cra-arc/formspubs/pbg/5009-c/5009-c-25e.pdf

Maybe I can sum it up as follows:

Crypto gains are treated as capital gains.
In Canada, 50% of the capital gains are taxable.
They are taxed as a regular income in hands of the individual.

Therefore, the actual tax rate on capital gains is determined by the actual taxable income of the individual investor.