Latvia plans crypto tax payments in 2027 and a one-time 10% amnesty

Latvia wants residents to be able to pay their taxes in crypto from next year. Didzis Dejus, an adviser to the prime minister on strategic planning and the new economy, told CoinDesk at the UN:BLOCK Fintech conference in Riga that the Finance Ministry has agreed to the plan and he expects it to happen in 2027. Technical work with a payment provider is still under way.

What is planned

• Crypto for tax bills: holders could use their coins to settle what they owe the state. Dejus did not name the payment provider or say which cryptocurrencies would be accepted.
• Not a new idea: the plan builds on proposals announced in May 2025 that also covered tokenising assets such as real estate.
• Political timing: Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs' United List won the 3 October election and is expected to lead again, but still needs coalition partners, so the next government will shape the rollout.

"We are not afraid to be the fastest country," Dejus said. The Finance Ministry had not replied to CoinDesk's request for comment.

How crypto will be taxed

The payment plan lands alongside a bigger change. On 15 October the Saeima, Latvia's parliament, passed a law that taxes money taken out of crypto investment accounts once withdrawals exceed what was deposited, instead of taxing every trade. The same law opens a one-off declaration window: holders can clear past tax obligations by paying 10% of the market value of the assets they declare, measured at the end of 2026. Dejus said this is meant for people who bought years ago and no longer have records of what they paid.

Latvia would not be first to accept crypto for taxes: Colorado began taking crypto through PayPal in 2022, converting it to dollars. Elsewhere, governments are moving on reporting rather than payment — see our story on Australia's draft OECD crypto reporting bill and the French vote on taxing stablecoin swaps.