Washington, D.C. (Feb. 24, 2026) – Today, Blockchain Association (BA) released its Digital Asset Tax Principles, a consensus framework designed to inform congressional efforts to modernize tax policy for digital assets.
The release coincides with Blockchain Association’s Capitol Hill Tax Fly-In, during which BA members will meet with two dozen offices on the House Ways and Means Committee to discuss practical, pro-innovation reforms grounded in operational experience.
Blockchain Association has long advocated for clear and administrable tax policy. The Principles provide lawmakers with a concrete, technically informed foundation for reform that affirms taxpayers must comply with the law and deserve clear rules and workable tools to do so accurately.
“As Congress evaluates digital asset tax legislation, it is vital that any policy proposal reflects economic reality and remains workable for taxpayers and regulators alike,” said Summer Mersinger, CEO of Blockchain Association. “Our principles offer a pragmatic foundation for achieving clarity while strengthening American competitiveness.”
The Digital Asset Tax Principles emphasize:
- Administrability and Practicality – including a meaningful de minimis exemption for small digital asset transactions and treating stablecoins as cash for tax purposes to avoid disproportionate reporting burdens.
- Functional Consistency – ensuring economically similar activities are treated consistently regardless of technical implementation, including mining and staking, by treating rewards as self-created property that is taxable upon disposition and sourced to the token owner’s residence.
- Economic Ownership – ensuring nonrecognition treatment for transactions that do not alter economic exposure.
- Privacy and Safety – tailoring reporting requirements to protect taxpayer privacy while achieving legitimate enforcement goals.
- Global Competitiveness – including a safe harbor for foreign persons trading on U.S. exchanges and policies that support onshoring.
- Anti-Abuse – closing wash sale gaps while preserving everyday digital asset use.
- Equal Access, Market-Based Treatment, and Workability – enabling retirement account access, allowing mark-to-market accounting where appropriate, and facilitating charitable contributions without unnecessary appraisal burdens.
- Pro-Innovation – recognizing blockchain development as qualifying technological advancement for R&D tax credits.
“Tax policy should respond to distinct attributes of blockchain technology and reflect the everyday ways that millions of Americans use digital assets,” said Lindsay Fraser, Chief Policy Officer of Blockchain Association. “Our recommendations are grounded in long-standing tax principles and reflect how digital asset networks actually operate.”
Throughout the day, Blockchain Association members are participating in meetings and a congressional staff briefing to walk through these principles and answer technical questions.
The full Digital Asset Tax Principles are available here.
