Russian Crypto Industry Queries Government About Proposed Criminal Liability for Miners

The organization representing Russia’s crypto sector has asked the government in Moscow to clarify a proposal to introduce criminal liability for “gray” miners. The draft legislation seeks to punish those who fail to report their income to the state and share information about their digital assets.

The Russian Association of Cryptoeconomics, Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain (Racib) has asked Finance Minister Anton Siluanov to explain a proposal made by his department to introduce penalties for cryptocurrency miners violating the law.

In a letter addressed to Siluanov, the industry organization requests an opportunity to get acquainted with the respective draft amendments to the Criminal Code put forward by the Ministry of Finance, which provide for the prosecution of miners for tax evasion, for example.

Racib is referring to a package of texts sent by Deputy Finance Minister Alexey Moiseev to the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Justice, the Federal Tax Service, the Central Bank of Russia, and other government institutions in February.

The provisions oblige mining companies in Russia to report their income and provide tax authorities with detailed information about their digital asset holdings, including wallet addresses, in order to avoid criminal liability. Penalties for failure to do so include hefty fines and even prison time. Quoted by RBC Crypto, Racib’s letter states:

This document has caused a lot of confusion and questions in the digital economy business community.

The association is asking Anton Siluanov to share the proposals with it so that its experts can study them. Furthermore, Racib insists that the minister includes its representatives in the working group drafting the legislation that will regulate cryptocurrencies in Russia. A bill devoted to crypto mining is to be resubmitted to the State Duma along with the amendments to the Criminal Code.

Do you think the Russian crypto industry association will manage to change the texts introducing criminal liability for miners? Share your thoughts on the subject in the comments section below.