The European Commission wants to take a tiny bite out of every crypto trade. An internal document circulated on May 30 proposes a 0.1% tax on crypto transactions across the EU, projected to generate between €3 billion and €4 billion per year.
What the Commission is actually proposing
The document lays out two possible approaches to taxing crypto assets. The first, and apparently preferred, option is the 0.1% transaction tax. The second is a capital-gains tax on crypto profits, which the Commission estimates would bring in a more modest €1 billion to €2.4 billion annually.
These aren’t standalone proposals. They’re part of a larger revenue package that bundles crypto taxes with levies on digital services and gambling. The full package is estimated at roughly €20 billion over the 2028-2034 EU budget period.
The proposals would function as what the EU calls “own resources,” essentially new funding streams that flow directly into the bloc’s central budget rather than through individual member states.
