The IRS just finalized its new broker rule, finding that control is not necessary to be considered a broker subject to IRS reporting requirements.

It's a nightmare for every non-custodial exchange and swap provider.

Built a website to let users swap between currencies? You're a broker under IRS reporting requirements.

Built a mobile app to let users swap between currencies? You're a broker under IRS reporting requirements.

Built a browser extension to let people swap between currencies? You're a broker under IRS reporting requirements.

As long as you have the ability to collect fees on a trade, or have the ability to affect the terms under which a trade is provided, or a whole bunch of other nonsense, you're a broker, which makes pretty much any non-custodial exchange or swap provider a broker.

While wallets without swap or exchange features are excluded by the broker rule, it's a taste of what's to come for BSA reporting requirements for non-custodial software.

INB4: "bUt ThEy CaN'T FoRcE mY nOn-CuStOdIaL wAlLeT tO Do aNyThiNg"

That's right they can't. But they can force the people building the software and services. And if they don't, they'll go to jail.

Unless challenged, the rule goes into effect in 2027.

https://www.therage.co/broker-rule-irs-requires-non-custodial-services-to-report-trading-information/

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*control over funds

Still see no value in Monero's adversarial dev culture?

Correct. 😂 no one is talking about monero here. We are talking about abolishing the IRS and bitcoin 😂

You've got to be pretty dense to not see the advantage of a private currency that hides the sender and receiver in this situation.

It’s only a currency to them when it’s convenient

So developers should go anonymous and just built what they want.

Takes a lot of time & not all developers can afford to do that, they need to get paid.

Furthermore it's becoming more and more difficult to remain anonymous when all of an anons text output, posting time of day, IP addresses, and transactions are up against increasingly powerful AI language and heuristic analysis.

It ain't 2008 anymore.

Don't take fees, don't affect the terms of the trade.

Did we think the state would roll over without a fight for the best tool in their arsenal (the fiat money printer)?

IRS is out of control

Wait til they start taxing our zaps!

It seems that at least some of the 5th circuit ruling (admittedly one (and only?) circuit, and criminal vs reporting requirement) in Tornado cash could come into play here, Both the post-Chevron rulemaking authority of an agency. And even though a tornado cash smart contract is "back-end", the extent of "front-end" code control is similar to that described in the tornado opinion.

This would also seem to require addtional code to comply with, which might raise some "force speech" issues.

is it considered a swap between currencies, if you swap on-chain btc to lightning or liquid and vice versa?

Yes 👀

All this will accomplish is to drive innovation to a regulation friendly jurisdiction. Doesn't sound like the Trumpified crypto dominance being spun.

IRS might just cause an "own goal" and collide with the new evolving economies. Hubris, threats and irrelevance will be their undoing. Bankers no longer control the commanding heights of the global economic engine. It now rides on light and is subject game theory.

I think you're quite right, I don't see any way in which this doesn't bite them in the ass. They will cause some temporary, localized discomfort and that's it.

It's just code. This goes completely against the current consensus of the U.S. judicial system. If it stands for long, it will not be successfully enforced except to drive some innovation out of the U.S. and into alternative countries or into cyberspace with develipers with better opsecs. It will likely not even stick around under the current court atmosphere.

Wait, what counts as "affecting the terms of the trade?"

Holy shit it really does apply to developers of software that don't even take a cut, doesn't it? Yet another violation of the 1st Amendment.

Yah, I don’t like this at all.

Seems like email providers and even just email server hosts would meet these criteria.

Come and take it

nothing is as dangerous as a declining empire running out of money. they turn cannibal.

off with their heads

Rly tho

How fucked are we? Sounds like a not to big of a thing thing unless it is… can someone explain deeper?

If you have a crypto wallet that lets you swap one altcoin for another altcoin or a stablecoin or bitcoin then the maker of that wallet has to report your transactions to the IRS. Even if the wallet provider doesn't hold any of the coins being transferred at all they will still need to report the transactions to the IRS & issue you a 1099 tax form.

So running a Lightning node and earning 11¢ a week on routing fees makes you a broker, am I reading that right?

Well, compiling unconstitutional bills should be a punishable crime.

Voting to make them laws as well.

These MFs won't stop eroding our freedoms without the above.

🎯

These politicians need more treason charges.

They aren't trying to errode. They're trying to erase. They want as many of us dead as they can get.

Lower population = less resistance

Cocksuckers

Hopefully some of the sane folk in congress can fight it

https://x.com/patrickmchenry/status/1872748252422127764

lol and pleps will develope work arounds, until they have to regulate, that every human on earth is a broker und IRS reporting requirements my ass.

Building the software is an easy fix -- move the git repos to Tor. Sort of surprised this isn't more common yet especially afyer Samourai. Though you could also access clearnet repos from behind a Tor exit. Or just post to Sourceforge from behind a Russian proxy if your name rhymes with Batoshi Lakamoto.

Moving fiat around ourside their reach though is much harder, at least without chasing off the normies. Might not be long before you're buying Bitcoin for gift cards (which you can already do on Bisq).

That all said, it'd be a weird move to create a strategic reserve AND destroy demand for that asset all at the same time. Though perhaps the play is to try to turn Bitcoin into money for governments, and lock the plebs into fiat, much like Bretton Woods did with gold.

Run your node, stack your sats, and stay cipherpunk as fuck.

Interesting times ahead especially for swap services like TrocadorApp.

At the end this leads to more Monero adoption. Many ppl have a Bitcoin stack and use Monero for payments. They need swap services. If that isn't possible anymore I can imagine that many of them leave Bitcoin for good and use Monero only.

When they arrested the Samourai Wallet devs we saw a spike with Monero transactions. That's why I think we can see that again and with that a steady growing as more people have to think more careful how to route around the financial system.

If you don't re-think your goals with Bitcoin you will be trapped sooner or later.

nostr:nevent1qqsxrpyperdk50ma3tngyllyq9qa64k9y9e7rnhw72jpacrmnl2qzvcpz4mhxue69uhkummnw3ezummcw3ezuer9wchsygxc5mk0psuka2500xjyjllfka7ujamrx3gl8jjuvd8zppjez9ny0vpsgqqqqqqsljtx72

nostr:nevent1qqsxrpyperdk50ma3tngyllyq9qa64k9y9e7rnhw72jpacrmnl2qzvcpz4mhxue69uhkummnw3ezummcw3ezuer9wchsygxc5mk0psuka2500xjyjllfka7ujamrx3gl8jjuvd8zppjez9ny0vpsgqqqqqqsljtx72

Pseudonymous devs or gtfo.

At least this will help shine more light on massive US military black budgets. Right?

Do not comply

Do not know who needs to hear that but - Monero fixes this.

brandon keeps on giving

Anywhere where one profits from something as a business, the IRS will rule. This is why running software as a citizen engaged in free speech and not as a business matters.

They are unknowingly forcing the bitcoin standard.

All income taxes on the U.S. are voluntary -- this means don't sign into their contracts. And if one creates something (e.g software, service, etc.) keep it unincorporated, meaning don't register it with the State.

The irs doesn’t have authority to make laws

Y aún hay quienes dudan de lo que se va a venir para el software no custodial!!!

1984 y cualquier otra novela distópica esta quedándose corta, muy corta!

nostr:nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzpk9xancv89h24rme53yhl6dh0hyhwce528eu5hrrfcsgvkg3vermqqsxrpyperdk50ma3tngyllyq9qa64k9y9e7rnhw72jpacrmnl2qzvcey562j

IRS RETARDS

.... NAAAAARRRRRFFFFFFFF!