The Blockchain Association is pushing the House Ways and Means Committee to advance the Tax Clarity for Mining and Staking Act, a bill that aims to simplify how crypto mining and staking rewards are taxed. The group argues the current patchwork of guidance creates unnecessary compliance costs and scares off bigger investors.
What the bill would change
The legislation would treat mining and staking rewards as property created at the time of receipt, rather than as immediate taxable income. That distinction matters because miners and validators currently have to track the fair market value of each block reward or staking payout at the second they get it — a near-impossible task for any operation running multiple nodes. The bill would also provide a clear safe harbor for reporting gains only when those rewards are sold or exchanged.
Why the push came this week
The Blockchain Association sent its letter to the committee on June 22, 2026, as the tax-writing panel works through a busy summer calendar. The group wants the bill included in any broader tax package that moves before the November elections. Timing isn't great — Congress has a long to-do list. But the association sees a window while lawmakers look for bipartisan items that encourage domestic tech growth.
The institutional angle
A big part of the argument is that unclear tax rules keep pension funds, endowments and other large allocators on the sidelines. If they can't model their tax liability on staked ETH or mined Bitcoin, they tend to pass. The Blockchain Association's letter stressed that passing the bill would signal the U.S. is serious about keeping blockchain infrastructure on home soil rather than driving it to friendlier jurisdictions.
The House Ways and Means Committee hasn't scheduled a markup yet. The Blockchain Association plans to follow up with individual members and their staffs over the next few weeks. Whether the bill gets folded into a larger tax extenders package or moves on its own is the open question — and the one that will determine if this effort has legs before the year ends.
