Bitcoin Payments Surge in Low-Tax Havens: Strive’s Rochard Reveals Accelerated Adoption

Bitcoin isn't just digital gold—it's becoming the currency of choice where taxes bite least. New analysis reveals adoption isn't spreading evenly; it's sprinting ahead in jurisdictions where governments take a smaller cut.

The Tax-Free Turbocharge

Forget slow, steady growth. In regions with favorable tax regimes, Bitcoin payment volume isn't inching up—it's leaping. The data shows a clear pattern: lower fiscal friction creates a runway for crypto commerce to take off. It's a direct response to a financial environment that doesn't penalize every transaction.

Bypassing the Old Guard

This trend cuts straight to the heart of Bitcoin's value proposition. It's not just a speculative asset; it's a functional payment system that thrives where traditional finance feels heaviest. Users aren't waiting for Wall Street's blessing—they're building parallel economies in real time, often in places financial analysts rarely bother to map.

The adoption spike in low-tax areas proves a simple, powerful point: when people keep more of their money, they're more willing to experiment with how they move it. It's a quiet revolution, funded by the savings that high-tax jurisdictions conveniently label as 'revenue.' One banker's fee is another citizen's seed capital for a new financial future.

Strive’s Rochard says Bitcoin payments increased faster in low-tax places

Under current US tax rules, Bitcoin is treated as property rather than currency. That means every time someone spends BTC, for coffee, services, or goods, it triggers a tax reporting obligation and potentially a capital gains tax if the value has increased since the buyer acquired the Bitcoin.

The absence of a de minimis tax exemption — a threshold below which transactions WOULD not be taxed — has drawn sharp criticism from industry advocates.

In response to Rochard’s post, one X user countered his point, saying that even in countries where BTC is tax-free, paying with Bitcoin hasn’t caught on. The Strive executive later pushed back, stating the data shows BTC payments have grown much faster in low-tax regions than in high-tax ones. Responding to another user’s post, he insisted that tax enforcement should be feared.

Some commenters also supported his perspective, claiming that if it were not for tax imposition, they would use Bitcoin all the time. X commenter Mohammed Walid Gagi asserted that tax-free nations don’t fear Bitcoin. Some users thanked him for cutting through the noise, saying that everyone focuses on Lightning and scaling when tax treatment is the real barrier. 

Just last month, the Bitcoin Policy Institute warned that taxing every BTC payment makes it simply less effective as a day-to-day currency and slows its uptake. Currently, US officials are exploring a de minimis tax exemption for fully backed stablecoins—a proposal that hasn’t gone over well with Bitcoiners.

Senator Lummis had introduced a bill providing exemptions for small BTC transactions

In July 2025, crypto supporter and Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis proposed a bill to exempt small digital asset transactions of $300 or less from taxes. The proposal would impose a $5,000 annual cap on exemptions and add protections for crypto-based charitable giving. It also suggested earnings from crypto staking or mining wouldn’t be treated as taxable income until the coins were sold.

Additionally, in October, after Square integrated Bitcoin payments, founder Jack Dorsey advocated for a tax break on small BTC transactions. Dorsey noted, “We want BTC to be everyday money ASAP.”

But Marty Bent, co-founder of the media outlet Truth for the Commoner, derided the plan to exempt stablecoins from taxes as “nonsensical.”

Meanwhile, lawmakers in Rhode Island are also proposing legislation to make small Bitcoin transactions tax-free for consumers and companies alike. The Senate Bill 2021 proposes allowing up to $20,000 in yearly Bitcoin transactions — or $5,000 monthly — without triggering state tax liability. The proposed solution would also minimize tax expenses for small crypto exchanges and allow the public to remain compliant with crypto law, including those of self-certification, record-keeping, and valuation. Rhode Island lawmakers say they would review the policy in 1 year to gauge its impact on the economy and state finances. Nevertheless, the bill reflects the state’s effort to normalize digital currencies in daily payments, limiting the exemption to small transactions rather than investment trades.

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