澳大利亚将加密货币列为应税资产，令行业失望

加密货币行业对澳大利亚决定将数字货币归类为税收资产而不是外币表示失望。此举增加了该国加密货币行业监管的不确定性，政府还计划立法将数字货币视为资产。

Australia Maintains Cryptocurrencies as Taxable Assets, Sparking Industry Disappointment

澳大利亚维持加密货币为应税资产，引发行业失望

SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters) - The Australian government's decision to classify digital currencies as assets for tax purposes, rather than foreign currency, has elicited disappointment from the cryptocurrency industry.

澳大利亚悉尼（路透社）——澳大利亚政府决定将数字货币归类为税收资产，而不是外币，这引起了加密货币行业的失望。

In its budget announcement on Tuesday, the government announced its intention to introduce legislation to formalize the treatment of digital currencies such as Bitcoin as assets. This classification implies that investors will be subject to capital gains tax on profits derived from selling crypto assets via exchanges and engaging in digital asset trading.

在周二的预算公告中，政府宣布打算立法，正式将比特币等数字货币视为资产。这种分类意味着投资者将对通过交易所出售加密资产和从事数字资产交易所获得的利润缴纳资本利得税。

The government's move to establish clear guidelines for the taxation of digital assets follows El Salvador's adoption of Bitcoin as legal tender in September 2021. However, Australia has differentiated between private cryptocurrencies and government-issued digital currency (CBDC), classifying the latter as foreign currency.

萨尔瓦多于 2021 年 9 月采用比特币作为法定货币后，政府制定了明确的数字资产税收指导方针。然而，澳大利亚对私人加密货币和政府发行的数字货币（CBDC）进行了区分，将后者归类为外币。

Approximately 90% of central banks worldwide are currently exploring, experimenting with, or deploying CBDCs. The impetus for this widespread interest stems from a desire to remain competitive amidst the rise of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, despite the inherent technological complexities involved.

全球约 90% 的中央银行目前正在探索、试验或部署 CBDC。这种广泛兴趣的推动力源于在比特币和其他加密货币崛起的过程中保持竞争力的愿望，尽管涉及到固有的技术复杂性。

Mitchell Travers, a former cryptocurrency exchange operator and founder of blockchain consultancy Soulbis, expressed concerns about the potential ambiguity of the budget amendment, particularly in light of the government's ongoing investigations into the feasibility of a CBDC.

前加密货币交易运营商、区块链咨询公司 Soulbis 创始人米切尔·特拉弗斯 (Mitchell Travers) 对预算修正案可能存在的模糊性表示担忧，特别是考虑到政府正在对 CBDC 的可行性进行调查。

"It would be unwise for the government to adopt an aggressive enforcement approach towards the taxation of crypto assets in their early stages, especially considering their concurrent investment in migrating traditional financial system technologies towards digital assets," Travers emphasized.

Travers 强调：“政府在早期阶段对加密资产征税采取积极的执法方法是不明智的，特别是考虑到他们同时投资将传统金融系统技术迁移到数字资产。”

"It would be an ironic juxtaposition if they were to enforce taxation on digital assets while simultaneously launching their own CBDC without providing clear definitions for the tax treatment of different tokens," he added.

他补充说：“如果他们要对数字资产征税，同时推出自己的 CBDC，而不为不同代币的税收处理提供明确的定义，这将是一个具有讽刺意味的并置。”

The Australian Treasury acknowledges the largely unregulated nature of the crypto sector and has indicated that it will prioritize "token mapping" initiatives to establish regulatory frameworks for crypto assets and related services.

澳大利亚财政部承认加密货币行业在很大程度上不受监管，并表示将优先考虑“代币映射”举措，以建立加密资产和相关服务的监管框架。

The experience of El Salvador, which adopted Bitcoin as legal tender, serves as a cautionary tale for Australia. The country has incurred substantial economic losses due to the significant decline in cryptocurrency prices.

萨尔瓦多采用比特币作为法定货币的经历对澳大利亚来说是一个警示。由于加密货币价格大幅下跌，该国遭受了巨大的经济损失。

Caroline Bowler, CEO of BTC Markets, an Australian cryptocurrency exchange, expressed concern that Australia could lag behind other nations adopting a more progressive approach to cryptocurrency regulation.

澳大利亚加密货币交易所 BTC Markets 首席执行官卡罗琳·鲍勒 (Caroline Bowler) 表示担心，澳大利亚在采取更先进的加密货币监管方法方面可能会落后于其他国家。

"They are making a snapshot assessment based on what happened in El Salvador and the price of Bitcoin," Bowler stated. "Australia will fall behind countries taking a more open-minded approach."

“他们正在根据萨尔瓦多发生的情况和比特币的价格进行快照评估，”鲍勒表示。 “澳大利亚将落后于采取更加开放态度的国家。”

"European nations are making progress, and the UK now has a Prime Minister who understands central bank digital currencies," Bowler continued. "All of our trading partners will surpass Australia unless we implement proportionate and sensible regulation."

“欧洲国家正在取得进展，英国现在有了一位了解央行数字货币的首相，”鲍勒继续说道。 “除非我们实施相称且合理的监管，否则我们所有的贸易伙伴都将超过澳大利亚。”

The cryptocurrency industry remains hopeful that the government will engage in further dialogue and reconsider its stance on the taxation and regulation of digital assets. As the global financial landscape evolves, Australia must strike a balance between fostering innovation and safeguarding its economic stability.

加密货币行业仍然希望政府能够进行进一步对话并重新考虑其在数字资产税收和监管方面的立场。随着全球金融格局的演变，澳大利亚必须在促进创新和维护经济稳定之间取得平衡。