Greece Slaps 10% on Crypto Gains — Half the Rate It Floated in June 🇬🇷

Greece published a draft bill on Wednesday proposing a 10% capital gains tax on cryptocurrencies, with an exemption for annual gains of up to €500 ($559.95), according to Reuters. The rate is lower than the 15% that two government officials told Reuters was planned in June, when one official said individual crypto mining would not be taxed while mining by registered companies would be.

Greece currently has no comprehensive legal framework for taxing crypto. Officials have said the size of the country's crypto market is very difficult to estimate because most investors use platforms based outside Greece. There is no specific projection yet for the revenue the tax would raise, according to the report. The bill is due to be submitted to parliament in November.

EU member states do not share a unified system for taxing crypto, and rates vary widely. Cyprus introduced a flat 8% tax on crypto gains for individuals and companies from January 1, while Ireland taxes them at 33%, according to a law firm analysis. Italy raised its rate to 33% from 26% at the start of this year, and Spain taxes crypto gains as savings income at progressive rates of up to 28%. Germany exempts gains on crypto held for more than a year, and the Netherlands taxes a presumed return on assets rather than realized gains.

Since January 1, EU rules known as DAC8 have required crypto service providers to collect data on transactions by EU-resident users, which tax authorities then exchange with each user's country of residence, according to the European Commission, making 2025 the first reporting period. Outside the EU, the UK's HM Revenue & Customs has confirmed that depositing cryptoassets into DeFi lending protocols and liquidity pools will no longer count as a taxable disposal, deferring any capital gains tax until an investor makes a genuine economic disposal of the assets. That change, set out in a policy paper published Monday, takes effect from 6 April 2027 and will amend the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992. HMRC estimates it will affect around 700,000 individuals and trustees who use crypto loans.