IRS Crypto Chief Steps Down Amid Major Policy Shake-Up
IRS Loses Top Crypto Enforcer as Regulatory Landscape Shifts
Policy Overhaul Underway
The Internal Revenue Service's cryptocurrency division faces leadership vacuum as its chief departs during sweeping regulatory changes—timing that screams 'coincidence' almost as loudly as Wall Street bankers denying they understand blockchain.
Washington's crypto crackdown hits turbulence just as enforcement gains momentum. The departure signals potential strategy shifts amid growing pressure to clarify digital asset taxation—because nothing says 'financial innovation' like scrambling to comply with 20th-century tax codes.
Market watches nervously as IRS recalibrates approach to crypto oversight. The move leaves regulators playing catch-up while crypto evolves at lightspeed—proving once again that government agencies move at bureaucratic pace while decentralized networks rewrite finance overnight.
New 1099-DA forms signal bigger filing demands
One of the biggest changes is the new 1099-DA FORM that millions of investors will get from their crypto brokers.
Roughly 3 million filers have reported making crypto trades, a figure widely seen as low, suggesting many more people will newly disclose crypto activity as the rules take effect. The IRS did not respond to questions about Turner’s exit or who will lead the unit next.
“Digital assets have shifted from a niche issue to a Core focus for global regulators, and I am proud to have helped lay the foundation for oversight in this fast-changing space,” Turner said in a statement to CoinDesk. “Now, I’m excited to be moving to the other side of the table to help taxpayers, businesses, and institutions understand their obligations and navigate those same rules with confidence.”
Turner said she will take private-sector roles that include serving as tax director at CryptoTaxGirl, a tax firm that specializes in crypto transactions, and doing work with the U.K. firm Asset Reality.
Laura Walter, CTG’s founder, said in a statement that Turner’s arrival will help “ensure our clients receive the highest level of guidance, protection, and confidence in their filings.”
Crypto tax compliance still clouded
For years, crypto investors and businesses have faced U.S. tax uncertainty, with no third-party documentation that clearly spelled out what they needed to file. Many digital-asset holders did not compute or report their crypto taxes in prior years, adding to the IRS’s challenges.
Because the new 1099-DA forms will start flowing from accounts at firms such as Coinbase and Kraken early next year, those recipients will be under more pressure to calculate and disclose their tax positions.
However, in April Cryptopolitan reported that Congress overturned an IRS measure that WOULD have classified some DeFi platforms as brokers, leaving tax treatment for that part of the market unclear.
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