Ohio Crypto Program Hits a Snag, Attorney General Finds It Illegal

Ohio Crypto Program Hits a Snag, Attorney General Finds It Illegal
ôîòî ïîêàçàíî ñ : news.bitcoin.com

2019-11-14 19:00

The Attorney General of the U.S. state of Ohio has assessed the state’s crypto program and concluded that it is a legal violation of state law. The state’s former treasurer skirted the law to launch a website that allowed 23 types of tax payments in cryptocurrency ahead of other states.

Also read: US State of Ohio Accepts Bitcoin for 23 Types of Taxes

Ohio’s Crypto Program Violates State Law

The U.S. state of Ohio made headlines last year when it began accepting cryptocurrencies for 23 types of tax payments. The crypto program was launched by former Treasurer Josh Mandel before he left office. He set up the Ohiocrypto.com website, operated by the treasurer, to allow tax payments in cryptocurrencies through Bitpay. In January, Mandel was succeeded by Robert Sprague as the state treasurer.

Last month, an internal review raised some legal issues regarding the Ohiocrypto website and the State Board of Deposit proceeded to request the opinion of Attorney General Dave Yost regarding whether Ohiocrypto.com is a financial transaction device subject to the requirement of R.C. 113.40. Sprague shut down the state’s crypto program pending Yost’s opinion.

Ohiocrypto.com on Nov. 14.

After evaluation, Yost wrote a letter to Sprague on Nov. 5 declaring his legal assessment of the situation. Noting that “No other statute gives the treasurer authority to use Ohiocrypto.com to collect state taxes,” Yost wrote:

I conclude that Ohiocrypto.com is a financial transaction device, and that it cannot be
used without first being approved by the Board of Deposit.

This means the treasurer must obtain approval from the State Board of Deposit before using the website to collect state taxes. The deposit board has three members: the treasurer who also serves as the chairman of the board, Auditor of State Keith Faber, and Yost. With the attorney general’s legal opinion, the board will now decide what to do about the program. However, at press time, no meeting has been scheduled to discuss this matter.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost

The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that “Republican Attorney General Dave Yost found then-Treasurer Josh Mandel skirted state law when he launched the Ohiocrypto.com website last year for business tax payments.” The publication added that Dave O’Neil, a spokesman for Yost’s office, clarified that “the opinion on Ohiocrypto.com was advisory in nature, so it would not be appropriate to refer it to law enforcement, despite the finding of a legal violation.”

Paying Ohio Taxes Via Bitpay

When former Treasurer Mandel launched the crypto program in November last year, he said that Ohio was the first state to accept tax payments via cryptocurrency and that it would help the state become a leader in embracing blockchain technology. However, the program did not take off. Sprague recently revealed that, in the 10 months that the website operated, fewer than 10 businesses chose to pay their taxes using cryptocurrency.

Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague

Yost explained in his letter that taxpayers wanting to pay in cryptocurrency on Ohiocrypto.com did not pay the treasury directly and at no point did the state treasury actually hold digital coins. Yost, who became Ohio’s 51st Attorney General in January after serving as the 32nd Auditor of State, detailed:

The former treasurer contracted with a third-party company, Bitpay Inc., to process the payments. The taxpayer paid Bitpay in cryptocurrency. Bitpay settled the payment, converted the payment to U.S. dollars, and then paid the treasurer in U.S. dollars.

He added that Bitpay charged a fee for its service which was passed on to taxpayers, noting that payments were ultimately settled using an automated clearing house process between Bitpay and a bank account maintained by the treasurer.

What do you think of Ohio’s crypto program and the state attorney general’s assessment? Let us know in the comments section below.

Images courtesy of Shutterstock and the state of Ohio.

Did you know you can buy and sell BCH privately using our noncustodial, peer-to-peer Local Bitcoin Cash trading platform? The local.Bitcoin.com marketplace has thousands of participants from all around the world trading BCH right now. And if you need a bitcoin wallet to securely store your coins, you can download one from us here.

The post Ohio Crypto Program Hits a Snag, Attorney General Finds It Illegal appeared first on Bitcoin News.

Similar to Notcoin - Blum - Airdrops In 2024

origin »

Emerald Crypto (EMD) íà Currencies.ru

$ 0 (+0.00%)
Îáúåì 24H $0
Èçìåíåèÿ 24h: 0.00 %, 7d: 4.67 %
Cåãîäíÿ L: $0 - H: $0
Êàïèòàëèçàöèÿ $0 Rank 99999
Öåíà â ÷àñ íîâîñòè $ 0.0413084 (-100%)

state general attorney crypto program ohio law

Èñòî÷íèê: news.bitcoin.com

state general → Ðåçóëüòàòîâ: 126


Indian’s Government Ran Kerala Blockchain Academy Becomes A Partner Of R3 Corda

Kerala Blockchain Academy (KBA) from the southern state of India has recently announced that they have chosen to be general partners of New York-based enterprise blockchain platform R3. R3 is an enterprise blockchain software firm working with a broad ecosystem across industries to develop on Corda, its open-source blockchain platform, and Corda Enterprise, a commercial […]

2019-8-28 21:33


Ôîòî:

Bitfinex’s last-ditch attempt to halt investigation into $850M cover-up fails

A court in New York has denied Bitfinex and Tether’s parent company iFinex’s latest motion to avoid the legal clap back from its $850 million cover-up. iFinex claimed that the New York State Attorney General (NYAG) lacked the relevant jurisdiction to investigate the cryptocurrency exchange and stablecoin issuer as it claims it doesn’t serve customers in the state.

2019-8-20 12:42


Ôîòî:

US state regulator slaps ‘fraudulent’ ICOs with cease and desist orders

A US state regulator is cracking down on two New Jersey-based initial coin offerings (ICO) offering “fraudulent unregistered securities. ” The Bureau of Securities issued emergency cease and desist orders as part of “Operation Cryptosweep” – an international crackdown on fraudulent ICOs and cryptocurrency-related investment schemes – against Zoptax LLC (also known as Zoptax) and Unocall.

2019-8-8 11:34


Ôîòî:

Judge Postpones Decision on NYAG Case Against Bitfinex and Tether

New York Supreme Court Judge Joel M. Cohen has postponed issuing a decision on whether the Office of the New York Attorney General’s case against Bitfinex and Tether will stand. Judge Cohen Requests More Time As previously reported by Bitcoinist, Bitfinex and the New York Attorney General’s office has been enmeshed in a lengthy legal dispute over allegations that Bitfinex illegally conducted business activities in the state of New York.

2019-7-29 21:36


D-Day in Bitfinex Trial — Will Bitcoin Price React?

Monday’s judgment in the legal tussle between the New York Attorney General (NYAG) and Bitfinex might have some short-term effect on the Bitcoin price. All Eyes on Monday’s Trial Outcome As previously reported by Bitcoinist, the Supreme Court of the State of New York will resume hearing on the case between the NYAG and bitcoin exchange platform Bitfinex on Monday (July 29, 2019).

2019-7-29 17:00


Ôîòî:

Bitfinex Challenges NYAG Claims of Servicing US Customers

Bitcoin exchange platform Bitfinex has issued a court filing refuting claims by the New York Attorney General (NYAG) of servicing US customers in 2018. Bitfinex Says Alleged US Customers are Foreign Entities Earlier in July, the NYAG submitted evidence alleging that Bitfinex provided services to customers based in New York till December 2018, in violation of state law.

2019-7-23 15:00


Ôîòî:

Tether Is In The Soup ‘Again’ For Blatant USDT Issuance

On July 8 the office of the New York Attorney General submitted a report detailing Bitfinex and Tether’s alleged illegal trading and securities issuance in the state of New York. Have Tether and Bitfinex Colluded to Manipulate Bitcoin Price? A recently filed Memorandum of Law filed by the New York Attorney General’s Office (NYAG) alleges that Bitfinex and Tether knowingly issued USDT as loans to investors and operated as an unregistered securities operator in New Read More The post Tether Is In The Soup ‘Again’ For Blatant USDT Issuance appeared first on Bitcoinist.com.

2019-7-10 13:00


Ôîòî:

Op Ed: A Summary of

In the latest on the ongoing legal dispute between the New York Attorney General (NYAG), cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex and stablecoin issuer Tether, the New York Supreme Court has modified an April 24, 2019, preliminary injunction and now Bitfinex is allowed to continue using the Tether reserves that were loaned to it to maintain its ordinary course of business, such as paying employees and consultants.

2019-5-18 22:14


Ôîòî:

Exploring Bitfinex’s emergency plan: a $1 billion initial exchange offering

Zhao Dong, one of China’s biggest OTC traders, recently published a marketing document detailing iFinex Inc. plans to conduct an initial exchange offering (IEO), aiming to raise $1 billion. The move follows a probe led by the attorney general of the State of New York, which revealed the apparent loss of $850 million in funds […] The post Exploring Bitfinex’s emergency plan: a $1 billion initial exchange offering appeared first on CryptoSlate.

2019-5-8 17:09


Ôîòî:

Filings Reveal that Only 74 Percent of USDT Is Backed by Short-Term Liquid Funds

According to a Bloomberg report published April 30, 2019, only 74 percent of Tether’s USDT stablecoin is backed by fiat and other short-term liquid assets. The Trouble Runs Deep In an affidavit filed with the Supreme Court of State of New York on April 30, 2019, Tether’s general counsel Stuart Hoegner stated that the companyRead MoreRead More.

2019-5-2 11:48


Antoni Trenchev of Nexo Says He Isn’t Worried About the Recent Tether (USDT) Controversy

As per an all-new interview with Antoni Trenchev, the Nexo co-founder and managing partner stated that Tether and Bitfinex’s ongoing issues with the New York State Attorney General did not faze him in the slightest — especially since the altcoin market at large had remained relatively stable after it was revealed that the Attorney General’s […]

2019-5-1 05:46


Bitcoin [BTC] market was already going down before Bitfinex-Tether announcement, claims Tone Vays

The cryptocurrency space was recently dealt with another blow as seen by the collective fall in prices; Bitcoin [BTC], most notably, fell down by approximately $400 in valuation. The finger was pointed towards the Bitfinex-Tether lawsuit by the New York State Attorney General, which placed the exchange in a tight situation.

2019-4-29 21:30


Bitfinex-Tether fiasco: Bitfinex could be receiving financial back-up while users flee scene

The Bitfinex and Tether lawsuit by the New York State Attorney General has put the companies in a tight spot and if the suit proceeds in favor of the AG, then the long speculated secrets about Tether and the alleged “fraud” of Bitfinex in covering up $851 million in losses might be out in the […] The post Bitfinex-Tether fiasco: Bitfinex could be receiving financial back-up while users flee scene appeared first on AMBCrypto.

2019-4-28 23:30


Bitfinex CEO Statements Express Worry Bitcoin Price Could Fall to $1,000 BTC/USD

Today it was not a good day for virtual currencies. Most of them are registering large losses after the scandal in which Bitfinex and Tether (USDT) are involved. The New York State Attorney General Letitia James explained that Bitfinex mismanaged customer’s funds, something that could have had very negative effects in the crypto market. Can […]

2019-4-27 00:33


äàëüøå åùå 77 íîâîñòåé →

Ïàðòíåðû Currencies.ru

Àíàëîã Notcoin - Blum - Èãðàé è çàðàáàòûâàé Ìîíåòû



Ðåêëàìà íà Currencies.ru

Ñàìîå ñâåæåå íà Currencies.ru

Congress to discuss potential benefits of RWA tokenization in June hearing

The House Financial Services Digital Assets Subcommittee will hold a hearing on real-world asset (RWA) tokenization on June 5 to discuss the emerging sector’s potential benefits. Congress will listen to testimony from industry experts at the hearing to determine the potential benefits of RWA tokenization in facilitating efficient markets.

Coinbase slams SEC in closing brief over refusal to provide clear regulation

Coinbase filed a closing brief with the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on May 31, challenging the SEC’s denial of its rulemaking petition. The case revolves around a single, conclusory sentence in the SEC’s order, which “disagreed” with Coinbase’s assertion that current SEC rules are unworkable for digital asset firms.

Over 90% of Bitcoin supply remains profitable despite market volatility

Onchain Highlights DEFINITION: The percentage of entities in the network that are currently in profit is based on the amount of Bitcoin bought cheaper than the current price. The “Buy price” is defined as the price at which coins were transferred to addresses controlled by the entity.