Baker Tilly Staples Rodway has people in all our Member Firms with experience and expertise in the treatment of cryptoassets.
Specifically, we can assist with advice around tax obligations and the treatment of transactions involving cryptoassets. We also prepare webinars and other advisory content to provide further insight into the cryptoasset space. Here's some guidance from our team around the changing tax view of cryptoassets.
You may know it as cryptocurrency, but from the IRD’s point of view, the correct term is cryptoassets and the currency is taxed as if it's an asset rather than a currency.
The IRD has recently released guidance on cryptoassets for individuals, businesses and taxing cryptoasset income, with the emphasis being around transacting with cryptoassets. Our team has put together a handy overview of the ins and outs of the tax treatment of cryptoassets for investors.
You may be taxed on disposal of cryptoassets depending on your initial purpose/intention at the time of purchase. Your purpose will also be determined by certain circumstances:
A disposal of cryptoassets occurs when the crypto is sold or swapped. A swap is defined as the disposal of one cryptoasset and instantly acquiring another cryptoasset. A transfer between your own wallets does not constitute a disposal.
The IRD looks at your purpose at the time you acquire your cryptoassets. It does not matter if your intentions change at some other point in time.
Assuming you purchased the assets with an intention of future disposal, you are taxed on the difference between the amount you sold the cryptoassets for and the original cost you bought it for, overall being the net gain or loss that you make on that asset. If your original cost is greater than what you sell it for, you may be entitled to a tax refund.
You are deemed to be in business if you are a trader based on factors such as:
You may not be in business but may be in a profit-making scheme, being:
In this case, you will still be required to pay tax on your profits.
In the case of standard cryptoassets you will not have any tax obligations as you are only taxed on realised gains. You may have tax to pay if you dispose of these cryptoassets in the future.
We can help crypto-investors to ensure their tax obligations are met. Simply contact your Baker Tilly adviser and we'll put you in touch with the right person on our team.
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Market conditions can change quickly in the world of crypto. Indeed, it doesn’t seem long ago that people were asking “how high can Bitcoin go?” and considering the extent that altcoins would “go along for the ride”.
Living in New Zealand, or any other developed country, you would need to be under an impressively sized rock not to have heard about the recent cryptocurrency boom.
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