TURKEY MOVES TO TAX CRYPTOCURRENCY AS DIGITAL MARKET GROWS
Turkey is taking a major step toward regulating cryptocurrency as lawmakers attempt to bring one of the world’s most active crypto markets under the country’s tax system. On March 2, 2026, the ruling Justice and Development Party introduced a draft law in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey that would create new taxes on cryptocurrency trading and transfers.
If passed, the proposal would require a 10 percent withholding tax on profits made from cryptocurrency trades conducted on authorized trading platforms. In simple terms, when investors sell crypto and make money, the trading platform would automatically hold back 10 percent of the profit and send it to the government. These payments would be processed every three months.
The rule changes depending on where the transaction happens. If a person buys or sells cryptocurrency outside an authorized platform, the government would not collect the tax automatically. Instead, the investor would have to report the profit in their yearly tax filing and pay taxes through the normal declaration process.
The proposal also targets the companies that run crypto services. It introduces a small transaction tax of 0.03 percent on cryptoasset sales and transfers handled by cryptoasset service providers. This fee would be calculated based on either the sale price of the crypto or its market value at the time it is transferred. Companies would need to report the tax every month and pay it by the 15th day of the following month.
The government’s interest in taxing crypto is not surprising. Turkey has become one of the largest cryptocurrency markets in the world. Many citizens have turned to digital assets as a way to protect their savings from years of high inflation and the declining value of the Turkish lira. As more people move money into crypto, the government is trying to build rules that allow the market to operate while still collecting tax revenue.
Right now, the proposal is still only a draft law and has not yet received an official bill number. This happens frequently in parliamentary systems. Governments often release large policy packages before they receive formal legislative numbers or committee assignments.
As the process moves forward, the proposal will likely receive a TBMM proposal number (Kanun Teklifi) and be reviewed by a parliamentary committee, most likely the Budget and Finance Committee. If lawmakers approve the bill, it would then be assigned a law number (Kanun No.) and officially published in the Official Gazette of Turkey, which is the final step before the law takes effect.
For now, the proposal is best described as a draft law submitted to Turkey’s parliament by the Justice and Development Party on March 2, 2026 that would introduce new taxes on cryptocurrency trading and transactions.
For everyday investors in Turkey, the message is clear: cryptocurrency profits may soon come with a tax bill.