Greece is reportedly preparing legislation to impose a 15% tax on capital gains from cryptocurrencies, Reuters said in attributing two government officials as the sources.
If the development pans out, it will mark the country’s most significant effort yet to bring digital assets into the formal tax system.
The prospective legislation, reportedly being drafted by the finance ministry, is expected to be submitted to Parliament in the coming months. A senior government, as cited by Reuters, aims to incorporate cryptocurrencies into Greece’s tax code, a sector that currently lacks a comprehensive legal framework.
Under the plan, the first 500 euros of gains would be exempt from taxation, while the 15% levy would apply to capital gains realized from cryptocurrency investments. Individual cryptocurrency mining would remain exempt, although corporate mining activities would be taxed.
Reuters reported that Greece’s move comes amid a fragmented European landscape for digital asset taxation. Tax rates on cryptocurrency gains vary widely across the European Union, ranging from about 8% in Cyprus to 30% in France, with most countries taxing capital gains rather than the underlying assets themselves.
The proposal follows a broader government push over the past year to tighten oversight of digital transactions and expand tax compliance mechanisms as Greece adapts to evolving European regulations governing crypto-assets. Authorities have also been preparing systems to improve reporting and monitoring of cryptocurrency transactions in line with new EU regulatory requirements.
Government officials cited by Reuters said it remains difficult to estimate the size of Greece’s cryptocurrency market because most investors use trading platforms based abroad. As a result, the government has not yet produced projections for the potential fiscal impact of the measure.
The legislation would represent one of the first attempts to establish a dedicated statutory framework for the taxation of cryptocurrency gains in Greece, an issue that has remained legally ambiguous despite growing retail investor participation and the rapid expansion of digital asset markets in recent years. Recent reporting has indicated that Greek authorities have been examining both taxation and transaction-reporting mechanisms as part of a wider effort to regulate the sector more systematically.
Bitcoin was trading lower on Friday, with market data showing the cryptocurrency down more than 3% over the previous 24 hours.
