A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers is convening a closed-door session to push crypto tax reform forward, with new legislation on the table that could reshape how digital asset holders pay taxes on staking, trading, and everyday payments.
Key Takeaways:
PARITY Act Would Defer Staking Taxes
The House Ways and Means Committee is set to hold a bipartisan, closed-door meeting on May 14, 2026, to discuss crypto tax rules, the same day the Senate Banking Committee is scheduled to vote on the CLARITY Act. The parallel timing makes May 14 the most consequential single day for U.S. crypto policy in years.
At the center of the House session is the Digital Asset PARITY Act, introduced by Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) and Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), both members of the Ways and Means Committee. The bill targets several tax mechanics the crypto industry has pushed to reform for years.
Closing the Wash Sale Loophole
Firstly, the PARITY act closes the wash sale loophole. Under current U.S. tax law, an investor can sell a digital asset at a loss, immediately repurchase it, and still claim the tax deduction (something stock investors cannot do under the standard wash sale rule). The PARITY Act would bring digital assets under the same restriction, eliminating what some have called a structural tax advantage for crypto traders over traditional investors.
In return, the bill offers meaningful relief on staking and mining income, as under current Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rules, validators receive staking rewards that are taxed as ordinary income the moment they are received, even if those tokens are never converted to cash.
Critics have called this phantom income taxation, and the PARITY Act, in effect, would let miners and validators defer taxes on staking rewards for up to five years, or until the point of sale, effectively moving the taxable event to the moment of actual realization.
A third provision eliminates capital gains taxes on transactions under $200 when users pay with stablecoins issued by companies compliant with the GENIUS Act, the stablecoin regulatory framework currently advancing through Congress. The practical goal is to remove the friction that currently makes spending crypto on everyday purchases impractical, since each transaction triggers a capital gains calculation regardless of the amount spent.
Rep. Miller has said he expects the bill to advance before August 2026. That timeline would align with what Bitcoin.com News has noted is a defining stretch of U.S. crypto legislation, with both chambers moving simultaneously (i.e., the Senate on market structure, the House on tax reform).