Crypto trade group asks Thune, Johnson, Schumer and Jeffries for ten tax fixes, from a de minimis exemption to taxing staking rewards only when they are disposed of

The Blockchain Association, a crypto industry trade group, put its tax wish list in front of the four leaders of Congress on Thursday. In a letter dated October 22, 2026 to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the Blockchain Association asked for digital asset tax legislation built on ten principles.

"Americans who hold and use digital assets are not asking for special treatment under the tax code," wrote Lindsay Fraser, the association's chief policy officer.

The asks, in the letter's order: a meaningful de minimis exemption for small transactions, cash treatment for stablecoins and relief from Form 1099-DA reporting; taxing mining and staking rewards as self-created property taxed on disposition rather than on receipt, with residence-based sourcing; limiting broker reporting to intermediaries that hold customer assets, excluding non-custodial developers; a safe harbor for foreign traders using US exchanges; extending wash-sale rules to digital assets without catching everyday transactions; no tax on transfers between a person's own wallets or across networks; clearing staking for certain trusts, partnerships and regulated investment vehicles and allowing crypto in retirement accounts; elective mark-to-market accounting; no costly appraisals for charitable gifts of traded tokens; and R&D tax credits for blockchain development.

The letter does not name a bill or set a dollar figure for the exemption, and it sets no timetable. The Crypto Times reported that the group paired it with a "Tax Clarity for America" website for sending letters to representatives, and noted that the group Americans for Tax Fairness has criticized staking deferral and de minimis proposals.

What to watch next: whether the asks are folded into existing crypto tax bills or a new one, which the letter leaves open.