Taxation of Bitcoin - Filling in the Blanks : An explorative analysis of tax evasion among Swedish investors and the Swedish Tax Agency’s perception of the issue

Abstract: Background: The ongoing digitalization in the world with accelerated advancement of technology both develops and challenges the traditional view of means of payment. Legal and economic challenges havebeen recognized in regard to Bitcoin, one of these challenges refer to Bitcoin being defined as property of capital which has caused difficulties in individual income declaration and an overall challenge for cryptocurrencies to act as currencies. Furthermore, Bitcoin is being recognized as an investment possibility, however, since Bitcoin transactions are anonymous it contributes to issues within the public economy as profits made from Bitcoin trades are being evaded.  Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze tax evasion among Swedish investors when trading with Bitcoin. Furthermore, this study aims to expand the understanding of Bitcoin traders and determine whether some individuals are more likely to evade taxes in regard to trades with Bitcoin. The intentionis to identify whether there is a connection in demographic- and behavioral factors that indicate whether one is more willing to comply with tax obligations or not. This paper further aims to investigate the STA’s perception of Bitcoin in comparison to the general public as well as how the STA work with the challenges that exist today. Method: This study uses a combination of an inductive and an explorative approach with a mainly quantitative research strategy. Three sources of data have been used: 1) an online survey published in forums for Swedish investors, 2) interviews with the STA 3) court orders provided by the STA. Furthermore, a binary logistic model was performed in SPSS to examine statistically significant results. Conclusion: In regard to taxes linked to trades with Bitcoin, the findings of this study confirm that women are more likely to evade taxes, individuals between the ages of 50 and 79 are less likely to evade taxes in comparison to ages ranging between 18 and 29, individuals who are married are more likely to evade taxes than individuals who are single and investors using platforms registered within Scandinavia are more likely to evade taxes. In addition, the findings of this study indicates that behavioral factors such as morale, trust, awareness, social influence and probability of detection may be influential in tax compliance. Furthermore, the study found a deviation in the perception of taxation linked to Bitcoin where the STA does not recognize taxation linked to Bitcoin as a cause of concern whilst the general public find it to be difficult and an increased risk of tax evasion.