The tax department of Seminole County, Florida, has announced the beginning of cooperation with BitPay payment company. Already this summer, thanks to this partnership, most of the official payments can be made with the help of Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash. For example, can pay with cryptocurrency a property tax, fees for obtaining a driver’s license and ID cards. In fact, all payments that go to the local budget, if desired, can be paid in crypto. In the case of federal taxes and fees, this option is not yet available. Spreading of this practice is quite possible, in case of success of the “start-up”.
“We live in a world where technology has made access to services on demand, with same-day delivery and the expectation of highly efficient customer service and we should expect the same from our government,” Greenberg has said. “The aim of my tenure in office is to make our customer experience faster, smarter, and more efficient, and to bring government services from the 18th century into the 21st century and one way is the addition of cryptocurrency to our payment options.”
According to the terms of cooperation of Seminole County, government and BitPay, crypto payments will be converted into US dollars and go to the treasury within 24 hours. It is the purpose of this innovation to eliminate the risks associated with the use of credit cards, such as fraud and identity theft.
This is the first project in the US, when state institutions will accept payment for services in the crypto currency. Similar initiatives have been voiced both in Arizona and California, but they haven’t been implemented. Although in the city of Berkeley, California, a pilot project for the introduction of blockchain technology into the city’s financing system has been launched. According to the project, if it succeeds, a city token that will replace municipal bonds will be issued.
