Title: Taxing crypto earnings under Indian jurisdiction: a detailed study

Authors: D. Kiruthika; Kesavamoorthy Ranganathan

Addresses: VIT School of Law, VIT University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India ' VIT School of Law, VIT University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract: The most talked-about subjects have been cryptocurrencies in general and Bitcoin in particular. Cryptocurrencies are thought of as a subset of virtual currencies that are used for peer-to-peer transaction payments. There are differences in how different nations around the world treat cryptocurrencies. The currency's legal status is unknown, despite the fact that it is growing in popularity in society and among business communities. In India, there is no regulation that governs cryptocurrencies as of January 2024. Meanwhile in the Budget Session, 2022 the government has brought in the tax regulation of cryptocurrencies. In light of this, the paper would critically analyse on the existing tax treatment of cryptocurrencies in India and further the study is aimed to throw light on some reflections comparatively to trace the tax treatment of cryptocurrencies in other global jurisdictions so as to analyse the pros and cons of present taxability of cryptocurrencies in India.

Keywords: cryptocurrencies; Bitcoin; tax treatment; India; legal status; global jurisdictions; Income Tax Act; goods and services tax; GST; virtual digital asset; VDA; tax deducted at sources; TDS.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPLAP.2025.149437

International Journal of Public Law and Policy, 2025 Vol.11 No.4, pp.464 - 485

Received: 11 Nov 2023
Accepted: 15 Feb 2024
Published online: 31 Oct 2025 *

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