The IRS Wants to Tax Your Cryptocurrency

As we know, blockchain technology is premised on anonymity. Transactions are public, but linked only to an electronic address. Anonymity, though, is the main fuel for underground economies, whose transactions are currently conducted primarily through cash. If cryptocurrencies were to replace cash as the preferred medium of exchange, they could potentially expand the underground economy because of associated anonymity and convenience.
The U.S. Government recognizes this. Steven Mnuchin, Secretary