According to unofficial information (also reported on the website bitcoin.fr), Bruno Le Maire is said to have recently reaffirmed, in a small circle, his wish to make France one of the world’s leading centres for activities involving crypto-assets.

He appears to have given his clear and determined support to crypto-asset activities, for which he reportedly said he had recently developed a passion.

More specifically:

• He appears to have considered that the flat tax regime (officially called the “single flat-rate levy” (prélèvement forfaitaire unique)), normally applicable to dividends, would be well suited to crypto-asset activities. This implies taxation at a total rate, including taxes and social security contributions, of 30% (the rate then in force; 31.4% since the increase in the CSG provided for by the 2026 Social Security Financing Act (LFSS 2026)). This would therefore be an excellent thing.
• He raised an issue that seems central to me: exchanges of cryptocurrencies for other cryptocurrencies, and whether they are taxable. He seemed to consider that such exchanges could be treated as non-taxable, but appeared to wish for further work to be carried out before taking a decision to that effect.

Conclusion

Things should therefore change in time, in principle in favour of taxpayers. Your tax lawyer should therefore have more room for manoeuvre to assist you.

A simpler, clearer regime, with “reasonable” flat-rate taxation (or in any case in line with the average of other States with liberal economies) of 30%, should probably be introduced.

However, once again, I do not think this will happen before 2019. Income for 2017, and probably also for 2018, therefore remains problematic.

Furthermore, the question of the taxation of exchanges of crypto-assets for other crypto-assets does not yet seem to have been settled in the mind of our Minister of the Economy. Yet it is crucial.

Our tax law firm can assist you.

Marc Uzan

Lawyer