Canadian Municipality Set to Accept Bitcoin for Property Tax Payments

The Town of Innisfil, Ontario, will accept bitcoin for property tax payments from next month in a one-year trial project.

AccessTimeIconMar 29, 2019 at 10:50 p.m. UTC
Updated Aug 18, 2021 at 11:05 p.m. UTC

Presented By Icon

Election 2024 coverage presented by

Stand with crypto

A municipality in Canada is set to accept bitcoin for property tax payments starting next month as part of a one-year trial.

The Town of Innisfil, Ontario, announced Thursday that the cryptocurrency payment option will be offered in partnership with Toronto-based digital assets trading platform Coinberry.

  • Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. Will Become 'a Lot More Decentralized': Core Scientific CEO
    13:18
    Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. Will Become 'a Lot More Decentralized': Core Scientific CEO
  • Binance to Discontinue Its Nigerian Naira Services After Government Scrutiny
    05:10
    Binance to Discontinue Its Nigerian Naira Services After Government Scrutiny
  • The first video of the year 2024
    04:07
    The first video of the year 2024
  • The last regression video of the year 3.67.0
    40:07
    The last regression video of the year 3.67.0
  • Starting April, approximately 36,000 residents of the town will now see bitcoin (BTC) as a payment option on the municipality’s website. Other cryptocurrencies like bitcoin cash (BCH), ether (ETH), litecoin (LTC) and XRP could also be added in the future, according to the statement.

    Using Coinberry’s cryptocurrency payment processing solution Coinberry Pay, residents will be able to pay taxes in bitcoin in Innisfil’s digital wallet.

    Coinberry will then process those funds “in accordance with strict adherence to existing financial regulatory requirements” and “instantly” convert them into Canadian dollars and transfer it to the municipality. Coinberry is a Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC)-registered firm.

    Innisfil mayor Lynn Dollin said:

    “There’s no doubt that cryptocurrency is growing in usage and popularity. By getting into this now, we are making sure our municipality is ahead of the game, and signalling to the world that we truly are a future-ready and innovative community.”

    Back in November, the U.S. state of Ohio also allowed businesses to pay taxes in bitcoin, in partnership blockchain payments processor BitPay. Ohio is also expected to extend the service to individuals in the future.

    Canada dollar, bitcoin image via Shutterstock

    Disclosure

    Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information have been updated.

    CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk has adopted a set of principles aimed at ensuring the integrity, editorial independence and freedom from bias of its publications. CoinDesk is part of the Bullish group, which owns and invests in digital asset businesses and digital assets. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive Bullish group equity-based compensation. Bullish was incubated by technology investor Block.one.


    Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.