New Hampshire Bitcoin Tax Bill Fails

According to CoinDesk, a New Hampshire legislative subcommittee has recommended that the state's House of Representatives kill a bill that would allow citizens to pay taxes using Bitcoin.

The bill, introduced earlier this year by state Sen. Eric Schleien, calls for the New Hampshire Treasury to accept bitcoin through a third-party service that would clear the bitcoins in U.S. dollars.

The Legislative Committee debated it and rated the bill as "unqualified legislation," a decision that would have stalled the bill if it was confirmed by the House.

New Hampshire’s Rep. Bill Ohm, R-N.Y., gave the reasons for his decision in an email to CoinDesk.

“Bill Dwyer from the Treasury Department testified that he needed money to pay (federal funds, etc.), and Bitcoin is a商品that needs to be in a clearing state to be used to pay those bills,” he said.

Ohm stressed that no final decision has been made. The legislative subcommittee will meet on Oct. 14 to vote on its final recommendations before sending them to the House for a final vote.

Andrew Hemingway, a supporter of the bill who ran for New Hampshire governor last year, expressed disappointment with the commission's recommendations.

"It's been killed. I'm a supporter of this bill and I'm disappointed with the committee's actions, they're very short-sighted when it comes to the new economy ... it's a terrible decision," he said.

The news comes as California's AB-1326 bill to regulate digital currency commerce has been shelved by state senators.

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