Swapping Bitcoin for Stablecoins: Tax in Austria?

Swapping Bitcoin for Stablecoins: Does Austria Charge Tax?

Many bitcoin investors move into stablecoins for a while when the market turns volatile. Rather than cashing out into euros, they swap their bitcoin for a token designed to track the US dollar or the euro as closely as possible. In economic terms the operation looks a great deal like a sale into a state-issued currency.

Austrian tax law draws a decisive distinction here. Where the stablecoin received qualifies as a cryptocurrency within the meaning of the Income Tax Act, a direct swap counts in principle as a crypto-to-crypto transaction. For bitcoin classed as new assets, that step does not yet trigger tax on the price gain accumulated so far.

The liability is deferred rather than cancelled. The historical acquisition costs of the bitcoin carry across to the stablecoins received. Once those stablecoins are later sold for euros or US dollars, the appreciation originally built up in bitcoin can become taxable.

Stablecoins Can Qualify as Cryptocurrencies for Tax Purposes

A stablecoin is meant to hold its value against a reference through a defined mechanism. The US dollar serves as that reference in most cases. Other stablecoins track the euro, different asset classes, or a basket of several values.