May 20, 2019

IRS says new cryptocurrency tax guidance coming "soon"

Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios

The Internal Revenue Service is planning to "soon" issue new guidance about the taxing of cryptocurrencies and other digital tokens, the agency's chief said in a letter to U.S. Representative Tom Emmer.

Why it matters: The IRS hasn't issued guidance on the topic since 2014, leaving investors and enthusiasts increasingly frustrated, especially with new developments like Bitcoin forks that have complicated matters. Members of Congress have attempted to clarify the rules by introducing bills or asking the IRS to provide more guidance.

Go deeper: Taxes are tricky for cryptocurrency investors

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Mike Allen

7 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Roger Stone says he plans to campaign for Trump

Roger Stone appears yesterday outside his home in Fort Lauderdale. Photo: Johnny Louis/Getty Images

Roger Stone told Axios in a phone interview that he plans to write and speak for President Trump's re-election now that Stone "won't die in a squalid hellhole of corona-19 virus."

"I'm asthmatic," said Stone, 67. "Sending me to a prison where I could not be socially distanced ... would, I think, be a death sentence."

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Scott Rosenberg, Kyle Daly

22 mins ago - Technology

Facebook's plan: Make nice, but don't give in

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Facebook last week took steadily intensifying heat from fleeing advertisers and boycott leaders and received a big thumbs-down from its own civil-rights auditors. Its response, essentially: We hear you, but we'll carry on.

The big picture: Early on in Facebook's rise, CEO Mark Zuckerberg learned to handle external challenges by offering limited concessions and soothing words, then charging forward without making fundamental changes.

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Bob Herman

43 mins ago - Health

Health workers fear new shortages of protective equipment

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Health care workers faced severe shortages of face masks, gowns and other protective equipment at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, and they're afraid it's happening again now.

Why it matters: Hospitals, nursing homes and physician clinics need this equipment to protect themselves and to avoid spreading infection. Supplies are already stretched thin, and will likely get thinner as the coronavirus and flu season converge in the fall.