Tag Archives: Israel

Thought and Action in Turbulent Times

We are living in very turbulent and uncertain times in which division and confusion are being intentionally sown by competing forces in hopes of capturing hearts and minds to garner support for one agenda or another. But people are allowed to see only the facades of agendas that are largely hidden; that is why it is essential to pay attention to every voice and every perspective and measure each in relation to our values, attitudes, and beliefs, allowing dissonant evidence, when it is presented to us, some space for serious consideration.

There is much more I could say about this but my intention at the moment is to share a few bits that may be useful to you in your efforts to understand what’s happening in the world, what the near future may bring, and what you might need to know in prepare for it.

Firstly, I recommend to you the thoughts of Charles Eisenstein, author of Sacred Economics, who writes from the perspective of “The transcendent center,” which he describes as reconciling polarized issues by unearthing the unconscious assumptions both sides share and the questions neither side asks.” It does not seek compromise but “unifies them in a greater synthesis.”

Follow him on Substack and ponder, in this order, these recent posts, each of which I found deeply challenging: Shades of Many Colors, Trump and the Tempests of Hate, and, More Naivete, Please.

Secondly, take a few minutes to watch and listen to this recent interview by Judge Andrew Napolitano of noted journalist Pepe Escobar in which the situations in Ukraine and the Middle-east were discussed. Pepe reports on an important conference that just took place in Istanbul in which various knowledgeable political figures and scholars discussed Israel, Iran, and other players in the ongoing conflict, and likely scenarios for future developments in the region and globally.

And thirdly, if that doesn’t get your attention and raise alarm bells, listen to this one:

Israel Slaps Capital Tax on Bitcoins

According to Barter News Weekly, the Israeli government will now charge capital gains tax on profits made from Bitcoin transactions. here is their report:

TEL AVIV – Transactions involving Bitcoins in Israel could be treated as barter transactions, and profits from coin sales could be charged a capital gains tax.

Late last week the Israeli Tax Authority issued a circular detailing the authority’s stance on the taxation of cryptocurrencies, saying that the Bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies shall be treated as assets when sold.

Cryptocurrencies are often considered to fall into a legal grey area for the purposes of taxation, with some countries classifying them as financial instruments, or currency, or an equivalent of a currency, or an asset.

The ITA has now decided that any cryptocurrency sold in Israel shall be regarded as the sale of an asset, and, subsequently, will carry a potential capital gains tax obligation.

The profits made from the sale of cryptocurrencies will need to be declared to the tax authority.

Some experts have noted that if the currency is treated as assets, any businesses accepting crypto-coins as payment will need to treat the transaction as a barter transaction, and will be required to complete their tax filling obligations accordingly.

The treatment of cryptocurrency as an assets does not preclude any transactions from falling under the scope of the country’s VAT system.

It has been said that, “the power to tax is the power to destroy.” Well, the decision of the Israeli tax authorities to tax Bitcoin transactions as asset transfers may not destroy Bitcoin as a speculative medium, but it will surely inhibit its use as a payment medium. The money and banking cartel hates competition.–t.h.g.