Taxation of Digital Currency Staking in the Russian Federation: Recognition of Income for Personal Income Tax and Corporate Profit Tax Purposes

   The study is devoted to the analysis of cryptocurrency staking as a specific type of activity associated with the creation of new digital currency, as well as to the examination of the possibility and necessity of subjecting income derived from such activity to corporate income tax and personal income tax. The paper addresses issues relating to the emergence of income as a result of staking, the moment of recognition of such income (at the stage of receipt or upon disposal of the digital currency), the deductibility of expenses, the specific features of the taxation of liquid staking, and the imposition of withholding tax at source. An analysis of Russian legislation, academic research, and the technical and other characteristics of staking has led to the conclusion that it is necessary to: tax income arising from staking; provide statutory definitions of the concepts of «staking» and «staking pool»; and introduce into the Tax Code of the Russian Federation special provisions governing the tax consequences of transactions involving digital currencies obtained through staking.

1. Anishchenko D. E. Pravovye osnovy vzimaniya nalogov, uderzhivaemykh v Rossiyskoy Federatsii u istochnika dokhoda pri vyplatakh inostrannym litsam : dis. … kand. yurid. nauk. — M., 2023. — 225 s.

2. Akhmetshin R. I. Ponyatie dokhoda: problemy pravoprimeneniya // Nalogoved. — 2010. — № 3. — S. 58–67.

3. Efimova L. G. Vidy pravootnosheniy, voznikayushchikh na platforme blokcheyn // Vestnik Universiteta imeni O.Е. Kutafina (MGYuA). — 2020. — № 8. — S. 16–27.

4. Efimova L. G. O pravovoy prirode beznalichnykh deneg, tsifrovoy valyuty i tsifrovogo rublya // Tsivilist. — 2022. — № 4. — URL: https://newtech.legal/cabinet/catalog/tsivilist/3186/4823/.

5. Kashevarova N. A., Kulikova M. E., Ryaskina A. D. Obzor mekhanizmov konsensusa i ikh primenenie v biznes-praktike // Kreativnaya ekonomika. — 2022. — № 12. — S. 4787–4802.

6. Korzhova I. V. Kontseptsiya pravovogo regulirovaniya mayninga // Pravo i gosudarstvo: teoriya i praktika. — 2023. — № 1. — S. 88–95.

7. Manakhova I. V., Kolmykov K. A. Upravlenie v sfere detsentralizovannykh finansov na osnove tekhnologii blokcheyn // Vestnik Sankt-Peterburgskogo universiteta. Ekonomika. — 2024. — № 3. — S. 416–432.

8. Novoselova L. A. O pravovoy prirode bitkoina // Khozyaystvo i pravo. — 2017. — № 9. — S. 3–16.

9. Pepelyaev S. G. Nalogovo-pravovoe ponyatie dokhoda // Nalogoved. — 2014. — № 11. — S. 14–25.

10. Plekhanova L. S. Kriptovalyuty kak sotsialno-ekonomicheskoe yavlenie // Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. — 2023. — № 3. — S. 85–107.

11. Savelev A. I. Nekotorye riski tokenizatsii i blokcheynizatsii grazhdansko-pravovykh otnosheniy // Zakon. — 2018. — № 2. — S. 36–51.

12. Titorenko S. K. Pravovoe regulirovanie nalogooblozheniya dokhodov fizicheskikh lits, poluchennykh v protsesse podtverzhdeniya operatsiy s tsifrovymi valyutami po algoritmu Proof-of-Stake // Imushchestvennye otnosheniya v Rossiyskoy Federatsii. — 2023. — № 6. — S. 89–93.

13. Uspenskiy M. A. Grazhdansko-pravovaya priroda tsifrovoy valyuty v obshchem i kontinentalnom prave // Zakon. — 2023. — № 9. — S. 16–26.

14. Fedorov D. V. Tokeny, kriptovalyuta i smart-kontrakty v otechestvennykh zakonoproektakh s pozitsii inostrannogo opyta // Vestnik grazhdanskogo prava. — 2018. — № 2. — S. 30–74.

15. Churkin A. V. Kommentariy k otdelnym polozheniyam NK RF, opredelyayushchim ponyatie dokhoda // Nalogoved. — 2004. — № 3. — S. 12–14.

16. Shakhmametev A. A. Mezhdunarodnoe nalogovoe pravo. — M.: Mezhdunarodnye otnosheniya, 2014. — 823 s.

17. Shishkanov A. O. K voprosu ob uchete inflyatsii pri nalogooblozhenii zaemnykh operatsiy // Nalogoved. — 2018. — № 5. — S. 40–48.

18. Yankovskiy R. M. Kriptovalyuty v rossiyskom prave: surrogaty, «inoe imushchestvo» i tsifrovye dengi // Pravo. Zhurnal Vysshey shkoly ekonomiki. — 2020. — № 4. — S. 43–77.

19. Alston E. Blockchain and the Law — Legality, Law-like Characteristics, and Legal Applications. 2021 // URL: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3641997.

20. Avi-Yonah R. S. Effects From Moore: Does the Corporate Tax Require Realization? // Tax Notes Federal. — 2024. — No. 4. — P. 661–666.

21. Cipollini C. Crypto Staking Taxation Across Selected Countries: A Critical Evaluation // Intertax. — 2024. — No. 2. — P. 118–138.

22. Cong L. W., He Z., Tang K. Staking, Token Pricing, and Crypto Carry. 2022 // URL: https://www.hec.edu/sites/default/files/documents/Staking%20Paper%20June%202022.pdf.

23. Elkins D. The Myth of Realization: Mark-to-Market Taxation of Publicly-Traded Securities // Florida Tax Review. — 2011. — No. 5. — P. 375–407.

24. Kornhauser M. E. The Story of Macomber: The Continuing Legacy of Realization // Tax Stories: An In-Depth Look at Ten Leading Federal Income Tax Cases. — New York: Foundation Press, 2009. — P. 93–135.

25. Kwall L. J. When Should Asset Appreciation Be Taxed? The Case for a Disposition Standard of Realization // Indiana Law Journal. — 2010. — No. 86. — P. 1–56.

26. Lehmann M., Held A., Krysa F., Prévost E., Schinerl F., Vogelauer R. Staking Your Crypto: What are the Stakes? // Journal of Business & Technology Law. — 2023. — Vol. 19. — P. 1–43.

27. Marian O. Law, Policy, and the Taxation of Block Rewards. 2022 // URL: https://www.taxnotes.com/featured-analysis/law-policy-and-taxation-block-rewards/2022/06/03/7dhq5.

28. Sutherland A. Cryptocurrency Economics and the Taxation of Block Rewards // Tax Notes Federal. — 2019. — No. 4. — P. 748–972.

29. Sutherland A. Phantom Income and the Taxation of New Cryptocurrency Tokens // Tax Notes Federal. — 2023. — No. 178. — P. 669–680.

30. Thuronyi V. Comparative Tax Law. — Kluwer Law International, 2003. — 373 p.