Greece Proposes 10% Tax on Crypto Capital Gains

A Greek draft bill proposes a 10% tax on cryptocurrency capital gains, with the first €500 of annual gains exempt.

Key points

The draft would apply a 10% capital-gains tax to cryptocurrency profits while exempting the first €500 of annual gains.
The proposal remains under public consultation and is expected to reach Greece’s parliament in November; it is not yet law.
Greece is seeking a dedicated crypto-tax framework as national approaches continue to differ across the European Union.

A specific rate enters Greece’s crypto-tax debate

Greece has published draft legislation that would impose a 10% capital-gains tax on cryptocurrency profits, giving investors the clearest outline yet of how Athens wants to treat digital-asset disposals. The proposal would leave the first €500 of annual crypto gains untaxed. Reuters reported the draft on October 8 after it was opened for public consultation. The measure is only a proposal: it can change during consultation and would still require parliamentary approval before becoming law. That status also means taxpayers should continue to follow current rules and professional guidance rather than calculate liabilities from the draft alone.

The draft narrows an unsettled area

Greece does not currently have a comprehensive, crypto-specific tax framework. That has left taxpayers and advisers relying on broader income and capital-gains rules while waiting for legislation tailored to digital assets. The Finance Ministry’s existing tax guide says gains from specified securities are generally taxed at 15%, but it does not establish a dedicated cryptocurrency regime. A separate 10% rate would therefore create a distinct category rather than simply extending the ordinary securities treatment.

A small annual exemption is part of the design

The proposed €500 exemption would remove small annual profits from the new levy. Above that threshold, the reported headline rate is 10%. The draft’s final mechanics will matter as much as the rate, including how acquisition costs are documented, which disposals create a taxable event and how losses may be treated. Investors should not treat the consultation text as settled guidance. Those details can be revised before the bill reaches parliament or through later implementing rules. Clear definitions will be especially important for users who trade through several venues, hold assets in self-custody or lack complete historical cost records.

The timetable points to November

Reuters said the government intends to submit the bill to parliament in November. CoinDesk independently reported the same rate, exemption and timetable. Public consultation gives taxpayers, exchanges, accountants and other affected groups an opportunity to comment before a final legislative text is introduced. Until parliament acts, the proposal does not create a new payment obligation, filing deadline or effective date. The distinction is important because tax changes can affect transaction records and reporting systems long before the first return is due.

Cross-border activity complicates enforcement

Greek officials have acknowledged that measuring the domestic cryptocurrency market is difficult because many investors use platforms based outside the country. That limits the government’s ability to estimate revenue from the measure and makes consistent transaction reporting important. European rules are expanding information exchange by crypto-asset service providers, but member states still set their own tax rates and definitions. The Greek proposal would add a national rule within that broader reporting environment rather than create an EU-wide tax standard. It may therefore reduce uncertainty at home without resolving differences that confront people using services across multiple member states.

What to watch next

The next milestones are the close of consultation, publication of any revised text and formal submission to parliament. Observers will be looking for definitive rules on crypto-to-crypto exchanges, staking and lending income, loss offsets, recordkeeping and the treatment of gains realized before the law takes effect. For now, the durable development is limited but significant: Greece has put a 10% rate and a €500 annual exemption into a public draft, moving the issue from general policy discussion toward legislation.

Sources

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Greece Proposes 10% Tax on Cryptocurrency Capital Gains