Germany plans 25 percent tax on Bitcoin gains for purchases from 2027
The tax-free holding period for crypto is set to end for new purchases, and the debate in the Bundestag now reaches gold as well.
Bitcoin bought from 2027 onward would be taxed at a flat 25 percent under current plans in Germany, ending the option to sell tax-free after a holding period. The plans are attributed to Klingbeil and are now before the Bundestag. Gold has also entered the debate.
What is known
The core change is the end of the crypto holding period. Until now, investors could realize crypto gains without tax if they had held the coins long enough. That route is set to close for new purchases.
Reports say the flat capital gains tax, known in Germany as Abgeltungsteuer, replaces it. The rate is 25 percent. The rule would apply to purchases from 2027.
Holdings bought before that point would stay under the old rules, according to the reports. Existing investors keep the treatment they bought into.
The holding period is now part of the discussion in the Bundestag. Börse Online reports that gold is coming into focus as well.
Context
For many retail investors, the holding period was the main reason to hold Bitcoin rather than trade it. Without it, simply waiting no longer brings a tax advantage. Crypto would be treated much like other capital income, which already falls under the flat tax.
The exemption for existing holdings matters most to people who have already invested. It protects purchases made under the current rule. The change targets future decisions, not past ones.
Gold entering the debate signals a broader question. The issue is not only a special rule for crypto, but which assets outside the regular capital market should stay tax-free at all. The available reports do not spell out a specific rule for gold.
For investors, the practical point is narrow. The rule for new purchases is set to change. The rule for existing holdings is not. No investment conclusion follows from that while the law is still unpassed.
What is still open
The reports cite no final bill and no exact cutoff date within 2027. They also leave open whether surcharges apply on top of the flat tax and how crypto losses could be offset. What is planned for gold, and whether a draft exists, is not stated in the sources.
