Turkey Proposes 10% Crypto Income Tax to Regulate Market

Turkey's ruling party introduces a 10% tax on crypto profits and a 0.03% transaction fee to integrate digital assets into the national legal framework.

A new legislative proposal has been submitted to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, seeking to amend the Income Tax Law and the Expenditure Tax Law. According to the state-run Anadolu Agency, this new regime aims to integrate the crypto market into the existing capital markets framework and strengthen fiscal control over the sector.

10% Tax on Profits

Under the proposed legislation, crypto platforms regulated by the Capital Markets Law will be required to withhold a 10% tax on investors’ realized profits on a quarterly basis. This taxation will apply regardless of whether the investor is an individual or a legal entity, and irrespective of whether they are a local or foreign resident.

The bill shifts the primary responsibility for tax collection onto the platforms themselves, which will act as tax intermediaries. Through this mechanism, the state aims to ensure higher collection rates and limit opportunities for income tax evasion within the digital asset trading space.

In addition to the withheld tax on profits, service providers will also pay a separate transaction tax of 0.03% on the sale value or market price of the respective crypto asset. This mechanism covers the total transaction volume, regardless of whether a profit was actually realized.

Expanded Powers and Regulatory Clarity

The draft law stipulates that crypto brokers and other intermediaries will be responsible for conducting tax audits based on the registers they maintain. If a user provides false or incomplete information, tax authorities will be empowered to seek the due amounts from them in the event of a shortfall.

The text explicitly states that terms such as “crypto asset,” “crypto wallet,” and “platform” will hold the same meanings as defined in the Capital Markets Law, ensuring legal consistency between tax and financial regulations.

The President of the country will be granted the authority to adjust the withholding tax rate, with the power to decrease it from 10% to 0% or increase it up to 20%. These adjustments can be made depending on the type of token, the holding period, the characteristics of the issuer, or the type of wallet used.

Among the additional provisions, the delivery of crypto assets subject to the transaction tax is expected to be exempt from Value Added Tax (VAT). The bill also includes other fiscal measures, such as the removal of corporate tax exemptions for university hospitals managed by foundations, effective from 2027.

If approved, the new taxation regime for crypto assets will come into force two months after its publication in the official gazette.