Denmark Proposes First-Ever Tax on Unrealized Capital Gains for Cryptocurrency: Strategic Intentions and Potential lmpact

News Background
Author: Ronny Mugendi
In a recent report, Denmark’s lax Law Commitee proposed taxing unrealized capital gains on cryptocurrency at 42%, starting January 1.2026This tax rule would apply to all cryptocurrencies purchased since Bitcoin’s incepion in 2009. f passed, these crypto assets would be subject tothe same tax regulations as traditional investments like stocks and bonds. The govemment aims to aign crypto taxaion with the existing rulesfor other asset types, such as stocks and bonds.
This new tax policy would afect all cryptocurency acquired since the frst Bitcoin block in 2009. This means any cryptocurency holders wouldface a 42% tax on unrealized gains, regardless of whether they have sold the assets.
Tax Minister Rasmus Stoklund supports the proposal, stating: “in recent years, some crypto investors in Denmark have faced heavy taxburdens. Therefore, l am pleased the Tax Law Committee presented detaled new recommendalions today, These recommendations coudprovide a reference for establishing a more reasonable taxation system for crypto investments.”

Regulatory challenges and Investor lmpact
ntroducing this crypto tax would address the complexities of taxing crypto assets. The decentraized nature of cryptocurrency makes taxationchallenging for both tax authorities and holders. To address these issues, Denmark plans additional regulatory measures.
From 2027. Denmark wll begin exchanging data interaionally on Danish crvpto investors. in eary 2025, they plan to propose legislationequiring crypto service providers to report client transacions. This will help Denmark monitor aproximately 300.000 crypto investors andprevent potentialtax evasion.
The government also plans to alow investors to offset losses in one cryptocurency against gains in another. Additionaly, crypto losses caroiset gains in financial contracts, correcting an asymmetry in the current tax svstem, which taxes investor gains more heavily.
These developments align with ltaly’s eforts to strengthen control over digital assets. Recently, ltaly announced plans to increase its capitalgalins tax on cryptocurencies trom 26%6 to 42%6, as par ot broader measures to generate government revenue trom cryptocurency investmengains.
TaxDAo Commentary
Although the tax proposal has not been formally submited to Pariament, the tax philosophy and policy direction behind it are worh noting forcrvpto holders and industry plavers, Counties, regardless of whether they set separate capital gains taxes, consider capital gains an essentiataxation target under income tax. in practice, some countries (like Singapore and Hong Kong) set capital gains tax rates at 0% to attraciinancial capital. Countries with non-zero rates often only tax capital gains upon “realization,” which stresses the conversion of paper profits intoactual profts. Regarding crypto capital gains, most countries follow this same approach. Even among academics and policy researchersfocused on cryptocurrency, few advocate for taxing unrealized crypto gains. This context makes Denmark’s proposal appear paricularh’unusua” and distinctive.
Despite its uniqueness, this tax proposal can stll be understood from two perspectives: its accompanying measures and its poicy obiectivesFirst, taxing unrealized capital gains on crypto is not an isolated tax measure but is introduced alongside a crypto loss-ofseting mechanism.The Tax Law Commitee also recommends allowing investors to offset crypto losses against gains, which would effectively lower the 42% taxburden. Second, this tax proposal aligns with Denmark’s recent policies to strengthen crypto regulaion. The decentraized nature of cryptoposes new challenges to tax administraion. Taxing unrealized gains would simpify the tax administraion process and represents a crucial stepfor the government in intensifying crypto regulation.

Denmark’s financial system, known for its development and stabiity, especially efficient banking services and risk management, has made it anintegral part of the global financial system. The Tax Law Commitee’s proposal to tax unreaized crypto gains could be seen as an innovativeexperiment in crypto taxation, both benefting government revenue and showing Denmark’s commitment to acively managing digital assets. talso contributes to Denmark’s efforts to establish a comprehensive crypto tax system.
The chalenge remains, however. Although taxing unrealized capital gains would simplify crypto tax administration, the inherent anonymity andborderless nature of cryptocurrencies will continue to pose signlicant chalenges for Denmanrk’s tax authorties and may even increase theiworkload. Additionaly, inherent drawbacks of taxing unreaized gains, such as creating liquidity issues for investors and potentialy distoringong-term investment decisions, will still be dificult hurdles for the Danish government
In summary, if Denmark implements this tax proposal and retroactively taxes unrealized capital gains in cryptocurency, it would set agroundbreaking precedent. The far-reaching impact of this measure and whether other countries might folow suit remains to be seen.