Canadian Tax Agency is Reportedly Auditing Crypto Investors

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is auditing cryptocurrency investors in the country.
According to a March 6th Forbes report, the tax-collecting agency is sending questionnaires to the Canadian taxpayers asking their involvement in the digital asset investment in recent years. The crypto-related section in the questionnaire is 13 pages long and has 54 questions.

“In order to make good on these commitments, the CRA established a dedicated cryptocurrency unit in 2017 to build intelligence, and conduct audits focused on risks related to cryptocurrencies,” the CRA told Forbes. “This unit has enhanced the CRA’s ability to monitor and enforce compliance in areas of emerging risk, including the cryptocurrency space. There are currently over 60 active audits related to cryptocurrency.”
The publication detailed that the tax agency is seeking answers on the and whether the investors are using “cryptocurrency mixing services and tumblers.”
The agency is also enquiring if the investors are using services like ShapeShift or Changelly to buy or sell cryptocurrencies as trades on these platforms can be conducted without revealing any identity.
The Canadian tax agency is taxing crypto-related income since 2013. It already monitors trading activities on the registered exchanges.
“The CRA’s enhanced efforts in this space stem directly from its broader Underground Economy Strategy, which includes a commitment to monitor emerging platforms and new business models, with a special focus on the sharing economy and digital currencies,” the agency added.
Approaching Tax Filing Deadline
The push by the agency to disclose all crypto-related incomes came with the approach of the deadline of filing tax returns by the Canadian taxpayers – salaried Canadians must file tax returns before April 30th whereas the deadline for self-employed taxpayers is June 15th.
“The CRA is also committed to helping taxpayers understand their tax obligations when using digital currencies, and to remind them that using digital currency does not exempt consumers from their tax obligations. The CRA has published educational material on its website regarding the tax treatment of dealing in Digital Currency,” the CRA concluded.
Relief for US Taxpayers
Meanwhile, in the United States, crypto businesses are integrating technologies to ease the process of declaring crypto incomes while filing tax returns. Coinbase, in January, , the tax-filing software by Intuit Consumer Tax Group, in its platform to allow its professional and retail customers to directly upload their transactions, gains, and losses for tax filing.
The audit firm Ernst & Young also jumped into the sector with the recent launch of a tool for cryptocurrency transactions for both institutional and retail investors.