Crypto income stays taxed at 30%

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman did not mention crypto in her Budget speech this year. Crypto income remains taxed at 30% while tax deducted at source (TDS) stays at 1%.Due to this, many Indian crypto proponents took to Twitter to voice their opinions. Neeraj Khandelwal, co-founder of crypto exchange Coindcx, tweeted: “No changes to crypto taxation in India in the Budget Session. It stands at 1% TDS and 30% on profits. This puts India at a web3 disadvantage for another year.”

Sathvik Vishwanath, CEO of Indian crypto exchange Unocoin, wrote: “There was no mention of crypto or blockchain in the Budget this time. It has been a year since the announcement of 1% TDS was done and we all thought it would affect the industry. It did! Now we need reviving amendments.”

While the finance minister did not mention crypto in her Budget speech, the Finance Bill reportedly includes an amendment to the Income Tax Act that applies to crypto TDS. As explained by experts, the penalty for failure to deduct or pay crypto TDS includes an amount equal to the unpaid TDS that will be imposed by a joint commissioner, noting that for late payments, a 15% interest per annum will be imposed. Failure to pay TDS on crypto transactions can land one in jail for up to seven years.

When Sitharaman announced the taxation of crypto income at 30% and a TDS of 1% on crypto transactions last year, crypto trading volumes in India plummeted. The lack of a regulatory framework for crypto and the central bank’s continued crypto ban proposal contribute to the uncertainty that drives crypto companies and investors away from India.