Congressional Crypto Hearing: Trump's 'Crypto Capital Of The World' Ambition May Be In Danger
A congressional hearing on digital asset taxation has exposed sharply contrasting views on the future of crypto regulation.
While supporters argue that clear tax rules are essential for maintaining U.S. competitiveness, critics warn that proposed legislation could create special advantages for the industry and increase systemic risks.
Supporters: “We Have To Bring Stability To The Tax Code”
On June 16 in a house hearing, Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) said digital asset tax policy should be "coherent, administrable, and technologically neutral" and warned that isolated policy changes could create unintended consequences across the broader tax code.
"Every one in five Ohioans owns a form of cryptocurrency," Miller said. "We have to bring stability to the tax code."
The Ohio Republican argued that without regulatory and tax certainty, crypto businesses may choose to operate in jurisdictions offering more predictable treatment.
"If we do not, people will not come to U.S.A, to the crypto capital of the world as President Trump wants us to be," Miller said.
Tax attorney Jason Schwartz praised ongoing efforts to create a broader digital asset tax framework, saying tokenization and blockchain-based finance require clear rules.
Critics Warn Of Bailout Risks
Not everyone agreed with the direction of the legislation.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) challenged testimony from tax policy expert Stephen Carter, arguing that proposed mining and staking tax provisions would give crypto special treatment rather than creating parity with other industries.
Carter said the legislation would allow rewards from mining and staking to avoid immediate taxation, differing from current law under which such rewards are taxable when earned.
"If digital assets become a larger part of retirement accounts and the assets remain highly volatile or in a worst-case scenario crash, that would have an enormous impact on household retirement savings," Carter said.
He added that policymakers could eventually face pressure to intervene with taxpayer-funded support measures if losses become widespread.
Doggett characterized that possibility as crypto becoming "kryptonite for our economy."
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