High Tax Slows Bitcoin Development In Norway
Norway is such a beautiful country and has been named a top summer tourist destination for those in search of picturesque mountains, fjords, and glaciers. But how is the Bitcoin scene fairing in this small Scandinavian country rich in natural resources and warm at heart? An Interview with Therese Helland. This August I had the privilege of meeting....
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A push to prohibit the energy-intensive proof-of-work mining of cryptocurrencies in Norway has been rejected by the majority of lawmakers. The ban had been suggested by the far-left Red Party which also didn’t win backing to raise an electricity tax for crypto miners.
Norway Will Not Ban Bitcoin Mining
The parliament of Norway has considered and voted against a draft law banning the minting of digital currencies based on the proof-of-work concept. The legislation, which was proposed by the communist Red Party in March, was supported only by two other leftist parties, SV....
The finance minister of Norway believes that bitcoin may experience “breakthroughs.” He noted that “There is no doubt that there is great interest in cryptocurrency both in Norway and internationally.” Bitcoin May See Breakthroughs, Says Finance Minister of Norway The finance minister of Norway, Jan Tore Sanner, suggested in an interview last week that “cryptocurrencies will at some point move past the volatility for which they’re currently known and experience a period of ‘breakthroughs,'” Bloomberg reported. He was quoted as saying: It is....
Norway is now planning to withdraw NOK 121 bln (close to $15 bln) from its sovereign wealth fund in order to cover its loss of oil revenue. The idea that Norway’s sovereign wealth fund could put cryptocurrency in its portfolio now sounds wild, but in reality it could happen soon. The country is the biggest oil exporter in western Europe and with crude oil prices down, it has hurt the Norwegian economy and if oil prices do not rise. The fund itself is approximately $890 bln. The fund keeps the money in the Norges Bank. By third quarter 2016, the government already withdrew a total of NOK 54....
The payments application, Vipps extends its support to Bitcoins Norway cryptocurrency platform enabling users to purchase digital currency. The “Land of Midnight Sun”, Norway has stepped ahead of many countries when it comes to Bitcoin adoption. According to a user on Reddit and the Bitcoins Norway website, people in the country can now buy Bitcoin directly through Vipps Payment Application. Vipps is one of the widely-used payments application in the country. The platform operated by DNB ASA — Norway’s largest financial services group now allows people to pay for their Bitcoin purchase on....
Bad news for Bitcoin. Bitcoin has just taken another hit. Norway's director general of taxation, Hans Christian Holte, doesn't consider Bitcoin real money. Instead, the Norwegian government will consider Bitcoin as an asset subject to capital gains tax. Furthermore, there will be a high 25% sales tax for businesses making transactions in Bitcoin. According to Holte, "[Bitcoin] doesn't fall under the usual definition of money." Norway isn't the first country to reject Bitcoin as a legitimate currency. A lot of Asian countries have had similar policies towards the cryptocurrency. Earlier....