Skip to main content

Kazakhstan Introduces Surcharge for Electricity Used by Crypto Miners

Kazakhstan Introduces Surcharge for Electricity Used by Crypto Miners

Cryptocurrency miners in Kazakhstan will pay more than other consumers for the electricity they use to mint digital coins. The country’s president has signed a law that imposes an additional fee for the power utilized by the energy intensive industry.

Coin Miners in Kazakhstan to Pay Extra Fee per Kilowatt-hour of Electricity

Crypto mining entities in Kazakhstan are going to pay a surcharge for the electrical energy they burn. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has signed a new law this week amending the Central Asian republic’s legislation “on taxes and other obligatory payments to the budget.”

The bill, which was voted by the Senate earlier in June, introduces a new fee of 1 Kazakhstani tenge (approx. $0.0023) per kilowatt-hour used by cryptocurrency miners. The new electricity rate will be imposed starting from Jan. 1, 2022, Forklog reported.

Authorities in Nur-Sultan claim the additional charge will “bring out of the shadow” those cryptocurrency miners that currently operate in the gray economy. Albert Rau, the lawmaker named by local media as the author of the bill, said he couldn’t foresee any “critical consequences” from its adoption. Rau insists the parliament has approved a “government version” of the initially proposed amendments.

Crypto Industry Fears New Electricity Rate Will Turn Chinese Miners Away

Representatives of the crypto sector disagree with Rau’s position, warning that the move comes at a very inappropriate moment. Members of Kazakhstan’s National Association of Blockchain and Data Center Industry told the crypto news outlet that the decision “will have a very negative impact on the investment attractiveness of the industry.”

The main concern is that the fee could turn away Chinese companies that have been looking around for other jurisdictions amid the ongoing crackdown on cryptocurrency mining in the People’s Republic. Kazakhstan has been considered among other potential mining destinations, as over the past few years the country has gradually warmed towards the crypto industry.

In May, Shenzhen-based Bit Mining announced it’s planning to build a 100 MW mining data center in Kazakhstan in partnership with two local firms. In June, as Chinese authorities intensified the pressure on bitcoin mining operations, the company started shipping mining devices there. Earlier this month, the Hangzhou-headquartered mining hardware manufacturer Canaan established an after-sales service center in Kazakhstan as more Chinese miners are considering relocation to Central Asia.

What effect do you think the new fee will have on the crypto mining industry in Kazakhstan? Share your thoughts on the subject in the comments section below.



from Bitcoin News https://ift.tt/3qLaB40
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Deep Web Roundup: Dream Adds Monero and Bitcoin Tumbler “Chip Mixer” Launches

The darknet has been quiet of late, which is the way it’s meant to be. No news means no mega busts, honeypots, or mass market shutdowns. Even when it’s out of the spotlight though, the deep web is quietly making news, whether trialling the latest privacy coins or the newest coin mixers that promise to restore a little of the privacy that’s being stripped away from bitcoin users on a daily basis. Also read: U.S. Agency ICE Conducts Investigations That Exploit Blockchain Activity The Battle for Privacy Heats Up Privacy is all relative, but of late there’s been relatively little privacy to be enjoyed by bitcoin users. Blockchain monitoring software is becoming more sophisticated and more common, with U.S. law enforcement agencies using it to profile and hunt down deep web users. Chip Mixer is a relatively new bitcoin tumbler that’s designed to restore some of that privacy. Available on both the clearnet and darknet, the service uses a variety of techniques to obfuscate blockchain m...
10 comments
Read more

International Crypto Exchange Luno Adds Bitcoin Cash Trading

Luno exchange has added bitcoin cash trading to the platform following feedback from its client base. BCH is now only the third cryptocurrency available for trading on the exchange, in addition to BTC and ETH , but more options could be on the way once Luno determines that they are credible enough. Also Read: Bitflyer Adds Bitcoin Cash Trading Across Europe and the US Luno Adds Bitcoin Cash Trading Luno, the London-headquartered company formerly known as Bitx, recently announced that bitcoin cash was made available on its cryptocurrency exchange. Starting from Monday, September 23, customers at Luno are now able to store, buy and sell BCH on the platform. The reason given for adding BCH to the exchange is feedback from users in developing markets that convinced Luno to expand their offering from previously just BTC and ETH . Marcus Swanepoel, CEO of Luno, said , “We are in a new and exciting financial era. Developing economies are leading the large-scale adoption and appli...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ombudsman Receives Complaints About Crypto Investments in Spain

The Spanish ombudsman has been receiving complaints about cryptocurrency and how some Spanish citizens investing in these vehicles have lost everything. In his annual report, Angel Gabilondo recognized the rise of cryptocurrencies as a new problem due to the little or no regulation crypto sees in the country. In the same way, the EU has also warned about these assets recently. Spanish Ombudsman Gives His Take on Crypto Angel Gabilondo, the Spanish ombudsman, has given his take regarding cryptocurrencies and the effects they have on citizens investing in some of these projects. Gabilondo said in his yearly report that cryptocurrencies have become “a new problem” during the year examined, with many people having lost all of their funds invested. The report states : Cryptocurrency exchange companies or platforms are not regulated in the legal system, are not subject to any public supervision system, nor do they benefit from deposit guarantee systems. The affected users that sought...
Post a Comment
Read more