Spanish Treasury to Seize Crypto Alleging Tax Debts Payment

The Spanish Ministry of Finance is seeking to stretch its control over the tracking of cryptocurrencies in the nation to permit it to take possession of digital assets to pay tax debts.

The María Jesús Montero-led ministry is creating statutory reforms to the General Tax Law, particularly Article 162. Several reports reveal that this move aims to permit the Spanish Tax Agency to spot and seize digital assets for tax debt repayment. 

Spanish Treasury Vows to Battle Tax Evasion 

A royal order that became operative on February 1 expands the number of entities to be offered powers to collect tax. Until now, credit cooperatives, banks, and savings banks were answerable to the Treasury.

The Treasury also intends to battle tax evasion more viciously. In this case, it compels electronic money institutions and banks to report on all card activities. 

The rate at which these changes are being executed brings some obstacles on the regulatory front. The nation is attempting to progress proactively with several guidelines to manage crypto.

The Spanish Ministry of Education and Digital Transformation report in October last year showed that the Markets in Crypto-Asset Regulation (MiCA), the initial comprehensive EU crypto model, will be implemented nationally in December next year. This will be six months before the official deadline.

Spanish Regulator Issues March Deadline for Amnesty 

Spanish citizens holding crypto assets on non-Spanish platforms have to reveal themselves to the tax authorities up to the end of March. The submission timeframe for a Form 721 declaration began on January 1 this year and will close on March 31. Corporate and personal taxpayers were required to state the amount of funds stored in their overseas crypto accounts as of December 31 last year. 

Nevertheless, only persons whose balance sheets surpass the equivalent of €50000 (nearly $54000) in crypto assets should declare their overseas holdings. Persons storing assets in self-custody wallets should use the standard wealth tax Form 714 to report their holdings.