A plain-English breakdown of the CGT, trust, negative gearing, and structural changes that affect how Australian crypto investors build, hold, and protect wealth across the next cycle.
A note from our team:
This article is general educational commentary, not tax or financial advice. Several of these measures are proposals that will require legislative clarity, and the detail will matter. If you’re affected, speak with a qualified accountant or tax adviser before making structural decisions.
Key Takeaways
- CGT discount is being replaced (1 July 2027). The 50% CGT discount on assets held longer than 12 months will be replaced by cost base indexation plus a 30% minimum tax on net capital gains, for individuals, trusts, and partnerships. Companies and complying super funds are unaffected.
- Discretionary trusts face a 30% minimum tax (1 July 2028). Trustees of discretionary trusts will pay a minimum 30% tax on taxable income, materially reducing the tax efficiency of trust-and-bucket-company structures common among Australian crypto investors.
- Negative gearing tightened. From 1 July 2027, established residential property losses can no longer offset salary income (existing properties grandfathered). New builds remain eligible.
- Companies and super funds emerge relatively favoured. Their tax treatment is largely unchanged, which is reshaping the conversation about long-term holding vehicles for crypto.
- Three years to plan. CGT changes start 1 July 2027 and trust changes start 1 July 2028 — there is a planning window worth using deliberately, not reactively.
The Big Picture
This budget is framed around generational fairness, but the practical reality is that the tax take from individuals is heading toward its highest level in 30 years. Tax brackets remain unindexed, GST is untouched, and the structural conversations Australia actually needs — labour reform, payroll tax, stamp duties — have been sidestepped.
For sophisticated investors, the takeaway is direct. The way wealth is taxed in this country is changing, and the structures that worked for the last decade may not be the structures that work for the next one. Crypto investors sit right in the middle of this shift.
1. Capital Gains Tax Reform (from 1 July 2027)
Crypto investor impact: HIGH
This is the single most important measure for our community.
The 50% CGT discount on assets held longer than 12 months is being replaced by two mechanisms working together: cost base indexation (your cost base lifts annually with inflation) and a 30% minimum tax on net capital gains.
It applies to individuals, trusts, and partnerships. Companies and complying super funds are unaffected.
Why this matters for crypto
Most sophisticated investors in our community hold core positions in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and select large-cap assets through full market cycles, with the 12-month CGT discount as a foundational part of the strategy. From 1 July 2027, that approach is worth reviewing with a qualified adviser.
For long-cycle holders, the indexation mechanism partially offsets the loss of the discount, but only partially. Gains that significantly outpace inflation — which is the entire point of holding Bitcoin and quality crypto assets through a cycle — will be taxed harder than under the current rules.
The 30% minimum tax is specifically designed to stop opportunistic planning, such as realising gains in a year of low income, a sabbatical, or a career break. That’s a strategy some Australian investors have used to manage tax on multi-cycle holdings.
What we’re watching
- The 1 July 2027 start date creates a planning window worth thinking carefully about.
- Market valuations will presumably be required for assets held on that date, which has implications for record-keeping.
- Company and super fund structures retain more favourable treatment, which will reshape conversations about long-term holding vehicles.
This is exactly the kind of moment where mindset and discipline matter. Cycles are long. Tax regimes change. The investors who do well are the ones who position themselves with clarity rather than reacting in panic to every policy shift.
2. Minimum 30% Tax on Discretionary Trusts (from 1 July 2028)
Crypto investor impact: HIGH
Trustees of discretionary trusts will pay a minimum 30% tax on taxable income. Beneficiaries (other than corporate beneficiaries) receive non-refundable credits for that tax.
Why this matters for crypto
A significant number of sophisticated crypto investors hold positions through discretionary trust structures, often paired with a bucket company. The reasons are well known: asset protection, flexibility in distributions, and the ability to stream income to family members on lower marginal rates.
This measure dramatically reduces the tax efficiency of that structure. The income-splitting benefit is largely neutralised, and there’s significant uncertainty around how corporate beneficiaries are treated. The budget paper wording suggests corporate beneficiaries do not receive the non-refundable credit, which creates potential double taxation for bucket company strategies.
What we’re watching
- Three-year rollover relief from 1 July 2027 is available for restructuring into companies or fixed trusts.
- Fixed trusts, super funds, and widely held trusts are exempt.
- Legislative clarity around bucket companies is critical and not yet provided.
If you hold crypto through a discretionary trust, this is a conversation to have with your accountant well before 2028. Not a panic. A plan.
3. Negative Gearing Reform
Crypto investor impact: LOW direct, but indirect implications
Residential property negative gearing is being limited to new builds. Established residential property losses can no longer offset salary income from 1 July 2027, with existing properties grandfathered.
Why it matters for crypto
Many sophisticated investors in our community run blended portfolios, with crypto alongside property. Property has historically been a tax-effective wealth-building vehicle in Australia partly because of negative gearing. That advantage is being significantly reduced for new acquisitions of established stock.
The implication isn’t that crypto suddenly becomes “better.” It’s that the relative tax positioning of asset classes is shifting. Capital that may previously have flowed into established residential investment property may look for other homes, and asset allocation conversations will increasingly need to weigh after-tax returns across all asset classes, not just headline performance.
4. Loss Carry Back and Start-Up Refundability
Crypto investor impact: MEDIUM (for those operating through companies)
From 1 July 2026, companies with global turnover under $1 billion can carry revenue tax losses back against tax paid in the prior two years, capped by the franking account balance.
From 1 July 2028, small start-ups (turnover under $10 million) can convert first-two-year losses into a refundable tax offset.
Why it matters for crypto
For investors who run crypto activity through a trading company structure (less common, but it exists in our community), the reintroduction of loss carry-back is genuinely useful. A rough year can be offset against prior profitable years, freeing up real cash flow.
This is also relevant for our clients building businesses in or adjacent to the crypto space — whether that’s a tech start-up, a content business, or a services business serving the industry. The start-up refundability measure is meaningful early-stage support.
5. Electric Vehicle FBT Changes
Crypto investor impact: LOW for portfolio strategy, MEDIUM for lifestyle planning
The full EV FBT exemption is being wound back to a 25% discount from 1 April 2029, with transitional rules in between.
Not a portfolio matter, but worth flagging because a number of our clients have used the EV FBT exemption to access vehicles with pre-tax money as part of broader lifestyle structuring. If that’s part of your plan, the window for the most favourable treatment is closing.
6. Instant Asset Write-Off — Made Permanent
Crypto investor impact: LOW direct, MEDIUM for business owners in the community
The $20,000 instant asset write-off becomes permanent from 1 July 2026 for small businesses with turnover up to $10 million.
For our clients running businesses alongside their investing, this is a welcome certainty. It doesn’t directly affect a crypto portfolio, but it improves cash flow for the businesses many of you are building.
7. $1,000 Instant Tax Deduction
Crypto investor impact: LOW
A simplification measure for personal tax returns. From 2026–27, taxpayers can claim a $1,000 instant work-related deduction without itemising.
For most of our community, who typically have meaningful work-related and investment-related expenses, you’ll continue to itemise. Worth knowing about, not worth restructuring around.
8. Working Australians Tax Offset (WATO)
Crypto investor impact: LOW
A $250 annual offset for working Australians from 1 July 2027, lifting the effective tax-free threshold to $19,985.
Modest. Welcome. Not a planning event.
9. R&D Tax Incentive Changes (from 1 July 2028)
Crypto investor impact: LOW direct, MEDIUM for clients in the Web3 and crypto business space
Core R&D offsets rise by 4.5 percentage points, supporting R&D is removed, the intensity threshold drops to 1.5%, and refundability tightens for firms older than 10 years.
If you’re building a Web3 business, blockchain product, or crypto-adjacent technology venture, the changes meaningfully reshape what qualifies and how much it’s worth. Genuine, focused, experimental work is more valuable. Broad claims layered with supporting activity will face tighter eligibility and increased ATO scrutiny.
Summary Table: Measures and Effective Dates
| Measure | Effective Date | Crypto Investor Impact |
|---|---|---|
| CGT discount replaced with indexation + 30% minimum tax | 1 July 2027 | HIGH — affects individuals, trusts, partnerships |
| 30% minimum tax on discretionary trusts | 1 July 2028 | HIGH — reduces trust efficiency, bucket company uncertainty |
| Negative gearing limited to new builds | 1 July 2027 | LOW direct; indirect shifts in asset allocation |
| Loss carry-back reinstated | 1 July 2026 | MEDIUM for company-structured activity |
| Start-up refundability | 1 July 2028 | MEDIUM for early-stage Web3 businesses |
| EV FBT wound back to 25% discount | 1 April 2029 | LOW portfolio; MEDIUM lifestyle planning |
| $20,000 instant asset write-off made permanent | 1 July 2026 | LOW direct; MEDIUM for business owners |
| $1,000 instant tax deduction | 2026–27 | LOW |
| Working Australians Tax Offset ($250) | 1 July 2027 | LOW |
| R&D Tax Incentive changes | 1 July 2028 | LOW direct; MEDIUM for Web3 businesses |
What This Means for the CCI Community
The combination of CGT reform, discretionary trust changes, and negative gearing limits represents a coordinated shift in how individual wealth accumulation is taxed in Australia. The structures that have worked for sophisticated investors for the last decade — the 12-month discount, discretionary trusts with bucket companies, negatively geared property — all face material change inside the same three-year window.
For crypto investors specifically, three things stand out.
1. Long-cycle holding remains a core strategy, but the after-tax math is changing
Indexation softens the blow of the CGT discount removal, but it doesn’t replace it. Sophisticated investors will benefit from reviewing which structure holds which assets, and how realisations are timed across a cycle — with proper tax advice.
2. Structures matter more than ever
Companies and complying super funds emerge from this budget with their relative tax treatment intact, while individuals and discretionary trusts face material tightening. We expect a wave of restructuring conversations across the community between now and 2028.
3. The timing of the next cycle matters
With CGT changes landing 1 July 2027 and trust changes 1 July 2028, the realisation approach across the next market cycle will benefit from more deliberate planning than the last one. Not panic. Planning.
This is exactly the kind of environment where the difference between a sophisticated investor and a punter shows up. Punters react. Sophisticated investors position themselves with clarity, take advice from the right people, and play the long game.
Disclaimer: The information provided is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Several of the measures referenced are proposals subject to further legislative clarity. Investments are subject to market risk; consult a qualified financial adviser or accountant before making investment or structural decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the 2026–27 federal budget affect Australian crypto investors?
The budget introduces three changes that materially affect crypto investors: the replacement of the 50% CGT discount with cost base indexation plus a 30% minimum tax (from 1 July 2027), a 30% minimum tax on discretionary trusts (from 1 July 2028), and tighter negative gearing rules for established residential property. Companies and complying super funds are largely unaffected, which changes the relative attractiveness of different holding structures.
Is the 50% CGT discount being removed for cryptocurrency in Australia?
Yes. From 1 July 2027, the 50% CGT discount on assets held longer than 12 months is being replaced for individuals, trusts, and partnerships by two mechanisms: annual cost base indexation for inflation, and a 30% minimum tax on net capital gains. Companies and complying super funds keep their current treatment.
What is the 30% minimum tax on capital gains?
It’s a floor that prevents capital gains from being taxed at less than 30%, even when a taxpayer has low income in the year of realisation. It’s designed to stop opportunistic timing of disposals — for example, selling assets in a sabbatical year or low-income year to access lower marginal rates.
How will the new rules affect crypto held in a discretionary trust?
From 1 July 2028, trustees of discretionary trusts will pay a minimum 30% tax on taxable income. Beneficiaries (other than corporate beneficiaries) get non-refundable credits for that tax. The wording suggests corporate beneficiaries do not receive the credit, which creates potential double taxation in bucket company structures. Fixed trusts, super funds, and widely held trusts are exempt. Three-year rollover relief from 1 July 2027 is available for restructuring.
Should I move my crypto from a trust to a company before the changes take effect?
This is a structural decision that depends on your individual circumstances, asset base, and long-term goals. It must be made in consultation with a qualified accountant or tax adviser. The three-year rollover relief from 1 July 2027 is designed to support exactly this kind of restructuring conversation.
Does the new budget affect crypto held in self-managed super funds (SMSFs)?
No. Complying super funds — including SMSFs that comply with superannuation law — retain their current CGT treatment. This is one of the reasons the relative tax positioning of super as a long-term holding vehicle has improved under this budget.
When do the changes start?
CGT reform: 1 July 2027. Discretionary trust minimum tax: 1 July 2028. Negative gearing changes: 1 July 2027 (existing properties grandfathered). Loss carry-back: 1 July 2026. Instant asset write-off permanence: 1 July 2026. R&D changes and start-up refundability: 1 July 2028. EV FBT wind-back: 1 April 2029.
Is this financial advice?
No. This article is general educational commentary published by Crypto Consulting Institute. It is not financial, tax, or legal advice, and it does not consider your personal circumstances. Speak with a qualified accountant or licensed financial adviser before making decisions about your portfolio or structure.
Talk to Our Team
Our team is here to help you think through what this means for your long-term plan — mindset, strategy, and how these changes fit into the broader picture of building wealth through a full crypto cycle. If you’d like to talk it through, reach out.
Joe and the CCI Team
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