Cryptocurrency Legal Developments: Tax, Proposed Legislation, AML And CFTC

This week in a letter to IRS acting commissioner David Kautter, Senator Kevin Brady, R-Texas, chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, and other lawmakers strongly urged the IRS to issue updated, robust guidance regarding the taxation of virtual currency. Brady's letter expressed concern over increased IRS enforcement actions in the face of inadequate guidance over the past four years since the IRS's preliminary notice. The lawmakers urgently requested a written response from the IRS outlining where the IRS is in its efforts, what the IRS intends to cover and a timeline for the release of such guidance. The lawmakers also stated they intend to ask the Government Accountability Office to undertake an audit on the matter.