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Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Cryptocurrency Tax Enforcement May Soon Reward Tipsters Through Whistleblower Program and False Claims Act - JD Supra

  • Taxpayers could be criminally and civilly liable under state False Claims Act statutes for underreporting income linked to virtual currency.
  • While the federal False Claims Act explicitly excludes tax cases, the IRS and DOJ have tools aimed specifically at addressing tax fraud and tax avoidance.
  • The Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement is thinking about adopting a whistleblower program to boost its own enforcement efforts involving cryptocurrency.

International and state authorities could soon bolster enforcement efforts by rewarding individuals who provide information about underreporting income on virtual currency transactions. As a result, digital asset investors and their tax advisors could find themselves subject to liability under yet another regulation creeping into cryptocurrency governance. Taxpayers who skirt tax payments on virtual investments could be exposed to both criminal and civil liability under state False Claims Acts (FCAs). Specifically, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Nevada, New York, Rhode Island and Washington, D.C., authorize state FCA suits based on tax liability for failure to report income and making false statements on those returns.

On March 23, 2022, New York Attorney General Letitia James warned, “The consequences of a taxpayer’s failure to properly report income derived from transactions involving cryptocurrency are potentially far-reaching and severe.” The New York FCA allows for recovery up to three times the damages (two times...



Read Full Story: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/cryptocurrency-tax-enforcement-may-soon-391...