Bitcoin Investing Just Got a Lot More Complicated

When the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued its guidance on digital currency a few weeks ago, it seemed that Bitcoin investing had gotten some very good news.

See, the IRS had just issued a ruling in which the tax agency said it intended to treat the radical new digital currency as property, not currency.

At the time, the Bitcoin community applauded the move. Then again, IRS officials made it sound like they were going to treat Bitcoin profits as capital gains, which are substantially lower than what most investors pay for income taxes.

While the ruling technically meant that Bitcoin users would need to track every transaction for tax purposes, few believed the IRS would seriously enforce such a burdensome provision.

bitcoin investing

IRS attorney Keith Aqui even told The Wall Street Journal that small businesses and customers may "not have to worry" about being taxed on purchases made using Bitcoin.

Now, it turns out that U.S. citizens involved in Bitcoin investing just might have to deal with those headaches, after all.

In a Journal story last week, Aqui says the agency's decision to treat Bitcoin as property will in fact be applied to all transactions - even the smallest ones.

This means if you go to buy a beverage or pastry from a coffee shop using Bitcoin, the transaction will be taxed as if it was a stock being sold on an exchange.

Aqui, who worked on a recent Q&A document released by the IRS, went on to say that taxing all Bitcoin transactions "would be cumbersome, but that's the way the law is written, and that's the way we have to administer it."

I think this is nothing short of a sham by a scared federal government using its IRS watchdogs to crack down on a free-market currency. If it sounds like my blood is boiling, that's because it is.

When I told you about Bitcoin in my webinar "Edison's Revenge on the Dollar," I talked at length about how global governments were worried that Bitcoin investing would undermine their control over fiat currency.

Clearly, the IRS' new policy is just plain nuts. But I think something positive can come out of this. Some enterprising entrepreneur will come up with an app that tracks all your transactions in a single dashboard.

And I hope they go public so we can acquire the stock...

Bitcoin Investing: Is It Time to Sell?

While we're on the topic of Bitcoin investing, I'd also like to address an issue that a lot of folks have been asking me about - Bitcoin prices.

A string of negative news items - namely the Mt. Gox bankruptcy and moves by the People's Bank of China to close the bank accounts of Bitcoin exchanges - have hurt Bitcoin prices lately.

In fact, today the CoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index slipped below $400.

But despite the obvious challenges facing the still-young Bitcoin, I haven't backed off my belief in this radical new virtual currency. Still, the price volatility is exactly why I recommend that while people definitely should get involved Bitcoin investing, they shouldn't bet the farm.

However, in terms of when to sell your Bitcoin, that's really up to each individual investor looking at their portfolios and being candid with themselves about their risk tolerances.

As for me, I'm not selling...

Up Next: You may have noticed that often the splashiest IPOs don't fare all that well. The truth is, it's usually the smaller, less-covered companies that have the most upside potential. Here are some tips on how to find these IPOs - and when to buy...

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About the Author

Michael A. Robinson is a 36-year Silicon Valley veteran and one of the top tech and biotech financial analysts working today. That's because, as a consultant, senior adviser, and board member for Silicon Valley venture capital firms, Michael enjoys privileged access to pioneering CEOs, scientists, and high-profile players. And he brings this entire world of Silicon Valley "insiders" right to you...

  • He was one of five people involved in early meetings for the $160 billion "cloud" computing phenomenon.
  • He was there as Lee Iacocca and Roger Smith, the CEOs of Chrysler and GM, led the robotics revolution that saved the U.S. automotive industry.
  • As cyber-security was becoming a focus of national security, Michael was with Dave DeWalt, the CEO of McAfee, right before Intel acquired his company for $7.8 billion.

This all means the entire world is constantly seeking Michael's insight.

In addition to being a regular guest and panelist on CNBC and Fox Business, he is also a Pulitzer Prize-nominated writer and reporter. His first book Overdrawn: The Bailout of American Savings warned people about the coming financial collapse - years before the word "bailout" became a household word.

Silicon Valley defense publications vie for his analysis. He's worked for Defense Media Network and Signal Magazine, as well as The New York Times, American Enterprise, and The Wall Street Journal.

And even with decades of experience, Michael believes there has never been a moment in time quite like this.

Right now, medical breakthroughs that once took years to develop are moving at a record speed. And that means we are going to see highly lucrative biotech investment opportunities come in fast and furious.

To help you navigate the historic opportunity in biotech, Michael launched the Bio-Tech Profit Alliance.

His other publications include: Strategic Tech Investor, The Nova-X Report, Bio-Technology Profit Alliance and Nexus-9 Network.

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