Conservative Think Tank Stamps an ‘F’ on Biden’s Crypto Tax Proposal

The American Institute for Economic Research is dragging the White House for its purported “ignorance about energy usage, bitcoin, and economic policy”

article-image

US President Joe Biden | YASAMIN JAFARI TEHRANI/Shutterstock modified by Blockworks

share

A conservative think tank isn’t happy with President Biden’s proposed tax on crypto miners. 

The American Institute for Economic Research, in fact, was evidently displeased enough with the Biden administration’s latest crypto initiative that it gave a failing grade to the president’s Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) — the federal agency that put out the proposal on May 2. 

Under the proposal, the Digital Asset Mining Energy (DAME) tax would eventually impose a federal 30% charge on the costs associated with crypto mining. The industry’s crypto mining efforts are typically concentrated on bitcoin (BTC), as well as other proof-of-work blockchains. 

The American Institute for Economic Research’s Joshua Hendrickson in the AIER’s report took issue with the administration’s proposed incentive structure.

“Taxing a particular type of electricity-using activity does not provide an incentive to reduce electricity,” Hendrickson wrote in the report. “It provides an incentive to switch from the taxed electricity-using activity to other, untaxed, electricity-using activities.”

The chief executive of the publicly traded mining operator Marathon Digital, has been more blunt. CEO Fred Thiel told Blockworks earlier this month that a tax as high as 30% would “essentially shut them down,” referring generally to bitcoin miners with US operations. 

Hendrickson at the time also summed up the CEA’s argument: Bitcoin mining is a negative practice to a number of third parties. The CEA has claimed that bitcoin miners drive up the end price of electricity for consumers. 

The problem with that line of reasoning, according to Hendrickson, is that the CEA is misplacing its financial blame. 

“The source of the environmental cost is electricity generation, not bitcoin mining,” Hendrickson wrote. “If generating electricity imposes costs on third parties, then the externality argument implies that a tax should be placed on electricity generation.” 

One key CEA argument as outlined in its proposal: Pollution from electricity generation, not consumption, “falls disproportionately on low-income neighborhoods and communities of color.”

The US Energy Information Administration estimated that 60% of all energy used for electricity generation had effectively been wasted through July 2020, some of the most recently available federal data. 

Bitcoin miners may be able to combat climate change. Hendrickson wrote that buying leftover electricity units from power grids — especially electricity generated from natural gas — is one example of that. 

“Stranded natural gas is typically burned, emitting methane in the process,” he wrote. “People are purchasing this stranded natural gas and using it to generate electricity to power bitcoin miners. In doing so, they are limiting harmful methane emissions.”

The left-leaning Greenpeace, meanwhile, in a May 5 statement said that the DAME tax is a step in the right direction, adding that the US can’t tax its way out of climate change. 

The DAME tax originally stemmed from a March 9 federal government budget proposal. 

Its proposed phase-in was set to last three three years, with the tax beginning at 10% and then increasing another ten percentage points each year, according to a document from the Treasury.


Start your day with top crypto insights from David Canellis and Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter.

Explore the growing intersection between crypto, macroeconomics, policy and finance with Ben Strack, Casey Wagner and Felix Jauvin. Subscribe to the Forward Guidance newsletter.

Get alpha directly in your inbox with the 0xResearch newsletter — market highlights, charts, degen trade ideas, governance updates, and more.

The Lightspeed newsletter is all things Solana, in your inbox, every day. Subscribe to daily Solana news from Jack Kubinec and Jeff Albus.

Tags

Upcoming Events

Javits Center North | 445 11th Ave

Tues - Thurs, March 18 - 20, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Flashnote Template Presentation (2).jpg

Research

With the recent election, it’s clear that there will be a meaningful shift in crypto regulations and legislation. Trump is likely as pro-crypto as a president can be. He launched (multiple) of his own NFT collections and is launching an Aave wrapper called World Liberty Fi. He has also spoken out and mentioned that he wants to make the United States "the crypto capital of the planet" and transform it into the "Bitcoin superpower of the world". He proposed creating a strategic national Bitcoin stockpile alongside support from Senator Cynthia Lummis, promising to retain 100% of all Bitcoin held by the U.S. government. More importantly, we’re likely to see deregulation across the board in a lot of industries, with crypto being one of them - as Trump has committed to keeping the crypto market largely unregulated. Crypto, DeFi in particular, has historically been knee-capped by overreaching and hostile governmental agencies and regulation by enforcement, as evidenced by the plethora of Wells notices and lawsuits over the past few years. With Donald Trump winning the presidency, Republicans taking control of the Senate, and being on the verge of securing the House, we think it’s likely that crypto realizes positive regulatory clarity. Below, you can find our analysts’ takes:

article-image

Solana is the crowd favorite to potentially flip Ethereum somewhere down the line, and it tends to feel realistic at times

article-image

Of course, a lot has happened since the 600+ survey respondents shared their thoughts between Aug. 15 and Oct. 1

article-image

AI’s future shouldn’t be decided by a handful of tech giants

article-image

A look at software wallet Exodus may show how an SEC shakeup could have a real impact on industry companies

article-image

Co-chairing Trump’s transition team to help fill administration positions is Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick

article-image

Reflect is a delta-neutral currency protocol that lets tokens accrue yield without touching the banking system