French Bill Seeks Friendlier Crypto Tax Rules

TLDR

France is considering a bill that would make how crypto is taxed more similar to traditional securities and less painful for everyday users.

1. The bill proposes friendlier rules for airdrops, capital losses, and small crypto payments, without changing the headline tax rate.
2. These changes would reduce surprise tax bills and paperwork for retail users and give traders and startups clearer, more flexible tax treatment.
3. The bill is not law yet, so French crypto users should watch parliamentary debates and possible changes as the 2026 budget process continues.

Deep Dive

1. What The Bill Actually Changes

French MP Paul Midy, backed by 91 co-signers, has introduced bill 3090 to clean up tax rules for digital assets. The proposal focuses on three reforms that are explicitly framed as investor-friendly and aligned with securities taxation.

First, airdropped tokens and governance tokens would be taxed only when they are sold, not when they are received. That moves them closer to how free share allocations or options are treated, avoiding immediate income tax on tokens that may never be sold at a profit.

Second, crypto capital losses could be carried forward for 10 years, matching stock market rules. Third, small crypto payments up to 1,000 euros per year would be exempt from tax, which effectively removes tiny everyday transactions from complex capital gains reporting and calculation. Together, these three main tax reforms target the biggest friction points in Frances current regime.

2. Why It Matters For Users And Companies

Frances flat tax rate on crypto gains has already risen to about 31.4 percent, and a separate proposal would tax large digital asset holdings as unproductive wealth above 2 million euros at 1 percent annually. The new bill does not cut that rate but makes the system less punitive in practice.

Deferring tax on airdrops until sale reduces the risk of owing tax on illiquid or falling tokens. Long loss carryforward lets traders offset future gains instead of having losing years locked in. Exempting small payments up to 1,000 euros should make using crypto for everyday spending less of an administrative burden.

For Web3 companies, the bill also includes non-tax measures, such as hiding executives home addresses from public registries and requiring firms to fund security where there are credible threats, responding to a surge in physical wrench attacks targeting French crypto holders and founders.

3. Status And What To Watch Next

As of late July 2026, Midys bill and the separate unproductive wealth amendment are both pending and subject to debate in the National Assembly and Senate. None of these measures have been enacted yet, and details could change as France finalizes its 2026 budget package.

Key things to watch are committee amendments, any pushback from the finance ministry, and whether the investor-friendly reforms are adopted without the more punitive wealth tax, or whether they move together. The bill would also expand access to the EUs DLT pilot regime for more French corporate structures, which matters for institutional blockchain projects.

Confidence: high because current reporting outlines the bill text, sponsors, and status in detail, though final outcomes depend on ongoing parliamentary negotiations.

Conclusion

If passed close to its current form, Frances crypto tax bill would not cut rates but would significantly improve how gains, losses, airdrops, and small payments are treated, moving crypto closer to mainstream securities rules. For French users and Web3 firms, the practical burden of tax timing, loss use, and safety could ease, but the overall tax level and wealth measures are still up for debate as lawmakers decide how far they want to support the countrys growing digital asset ecosystem.