Thursday, October 30, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

The Czech Republic exempts long-term Bitcoin holdings from taxation

Updated December 19, 2024, Published December 14, 2024 – By Editorial
Under the new rules, individuals will be exempt from capital gains tax on digital assets held for at least three years.

The Czech Republic is introducing a tax exemption for bitcoin held for more than three years. The law, which will come into force in 2025, aims to simplify taxation and strengthen the country's role in the crypto market.

On December 6, the Czech parliament approved a law that exempts bitcoin and other digital assets from capital gains tax, provided they are held for at least three years.

The law was passed with 169 votes and was almost unanimous. The reform is expected to simplify the taxation of digital assets and promote long-term investment.

Prime Minister Petr Fiala describes the reform as "a modernization", and believes that the measure strengthens the country's position in the crypto world. In particular, he highlighted the efforts of the MP and clarified the meaning of the new rules on the X platform:

"We have been pushing for better conditions for cryptocurrencies. Our MEP Jirka Havánek did a great job on this, and has been working intensively on it for 2 years.

There will now be a time test to ensure that if you hold cryptocurrencies for more than three years, their sale will not be taxed. The value test will in turn mean that you will not have to report transactions up to CZK 100,000 per year in your tax return".

The rules also apply to previous holdings

Under the new rules, individuals will be exempt from capital gains tax on digital assets held for at least three years. Transactions below CZK 100,000 (around €4000) per year will also be exempt from reporting, benefiting both small savers and large investors.

The law will be retroactive, meaning that bitcoin and other digital assets purchased before 2025 can benefit from tax exemption if they are sold under the new rules after the law comes into force. The change aims to create stability and reduce short-term speculation in the market.

– We have taken an important step to allow crypto businesses in the Czech Republic to function and continue to develop, a government representative said at a press conference.

EU rules for the crypto market

In addition to changes for investors, the legislation also includes rules for digital asset companies. Banks in the Czech Republic will no longer be allowed to discriminate against companies working with bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies.

The reform will be harmonized with the upcoming EU regulatory framework, Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA), which standardizes the regulation of digital assets across the Union. MiCA will enter into force shortly and is expected to further strengthen the Czech Republic's role as a leading player in the crypto market.

Despite the progress made, some ambiguities remain in the new law. There are no clear guidelines on how to verify long-term holdings, and digital assets are not defined in the Income Tax Act. Tax experts warn that this could lead to interpretation problems.

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Riots erupt in Dublin following assault on ten-year-old

Migrant violence

Published October 22, 2025 – By Editorial
Large crowds gathered outside the asylum accommodation in Saggart, Ireland, where protests soon turned into riots

An asylum-seeking man in his 30s with a deportation order has been arrested, suspected of sexual assault against a 10-year-old girl in Dublin, Ireland.

The incident quickly triggered violent riots when thousands of demonstrators gathered outside the asylum accommodation in the suburb of Saggart.

The assault allegedly took place on Monday near the former Citywest Hotel, which now functions as permanent asylum accommodation. The man came to Ireland from an African country approximately six years ago, reports the Irish Times.

The victim, a 10-year-old girl, had been in the care of Tusla, the Irish Child and Family Agency, since earlier this year due to what the agency describes as "significant behavioral issues". The girl was being cared for at a special facility where staff were available around the clock.

According to Tusla, the girl escaped from staff during a planned outing in central Dublin, after which she was reported missing to police. She was later found at a relative's home but escaped from there again, and thereafter only maintained phone contact with staff without revealing her exact location.

The girl later told staff that she had been involved in a serious incident, and through the information she provided, staff were able to determine where she was and contacted police.

Received rejection of asylum application

The suspected man had his asylum application rejected in 2024, according to Irish media. Since March of this year, there has been a deportation order against him, but he has not left the country.

The man is being held for questioning and police have 24 hours to press charges or release him.

Several thousand demonstrators gathered on Tuesday outside the asylum accommodation. The situation quickly escalated when the protests turned into full-scale riots where some participants threw projectiles at police, fired fireworks, and set fire to at least one police car.

Police were forced to deploy reinforcements and used a water cannon to gain control of the situation, and an area has been cordoned off as a crime scene outside the hotel.

"Fundamental duty to protect children"

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin acknowledges that authorities have failed to protect the girl.

— It is the fundamental duty of the state to protect the children of the state, and irrespective of the complexity or severity of any case, that duty must be fulfilled, he says.

Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris calls the case "horrifying" but appeals to the public to show restraint.

— It's important that we have an opportunity to establish the facts, and that the agencies also have an opportunity to present those facts, he argues.

Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan condemns the attacks on police and says that "peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy. Violence is not".

Portugal set to ban burqas

Published October 21, 2025 – By Editorial
NOTE: The image is an archive photo from Denmark, 2021.

The Portuguese Parliament has voted to ban face coverings in most public spaces.

The proposal was initiated by the Chega party and is justified as a measure to strengthen gender equality and women's rights in society.

Burqas and niqabs are expected to be banned in public places in Portugal if the bill is approved by the country's president.

The measure applies when these are worn for "reasons related to gender and religion" and carries fines of between €200 and €4,000 for violations. Anyone who forces someone to wear a face covering also risks up to three years in prison.

If the law comes into force, Portugal would join other European countries that have already introduced full or partial bans on burqas and niqabs, including France, Austria, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa can, however, veto the bill or refer it to the constitutional court for review.

André Ventura, leader of the Chega party, said during the debate: – Protecting female members of parliament, your daughters, our daughters, from having to use burqas in this country one day.

Women from left-wing parties oppose the proposal

Several female parliamentarians from left-wing parties opposed the proposal and confronted Ventura in the chamber, but the bill was approved with support from the center-right coalition governing the country.

This is a debate on equality between men and women. No woman should be forced to veil her face, declared Andreia Neto from the Social Democratic Party before the vote.

Only a small minority of Muslim women in Europe wear full face coverings, and in Portugal they are very rare. However, due to immigration from Muslim countries, their use is gradually increasing.

Full veils such as niqabs and burqas have long been a highly controversial issue in Europe, where critics argue that they symbolize gender discrimination, religious fundamentalism, or may pose a security threat.

The bill in Portugal has therefore become a central issue in the debate about balancing religious freedom, gender equality, and security. If finally approved, it is expected to resemble the rules already in place in several other EU countries.

Portugal and the burqa ban

  • Ban on: Burqa and niqab in public places in Portugal
  • Origin of the bill: Introduced by the Chega party (a Portuguese right-wing populist party)
  • Fines: €200–€4,000 for violations
  • Imprisonment: Up to three years for anyone who forces someone to wear a burqa or niqab
  • President's role: Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa can veto or refer the proposal to the constitutional court
  • European comparisons: Similar to laws in France, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands
  • Background: Only a small minority of Muslim women wear face coverings in Portugal. However, the trend is increasing somewhat due to immigration

Slovakia: EU must prioritize economy over Ukraine

The new cold war

Published October 17, 2025 – By Editorial
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's Slovakia is one of the few EU countries that has refused to deliver weapons to Ukraine and opposed Ukrainian NATO membership.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico accuses the EU of concealing its own fundamental problems by constantly focusing on Ukraine – and refuses to discuss new Russia sanctions until the union's economic crisis is taken seriously.

Ahead of next week's European Council summit, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is launching a frontal attack on the EU's priorities. In a post on X, he states that the union's constant focus on Ukraine masks its inability to handle the bloc's own serious challenges.

At the summit, EU leaders are expected to discuss increased defense spending, military cooperation and continued support for Kyiv. But Fico argues this is happening at the expense of more urgent problems within the union.

"Not interested"

On Wednesday, the Slovak leader stated that he is "more and more convinced" that the EU, by ""constantly discussing Ukraine, we in the EU are covering up our inability to deal with our most fundamental challenges and problems". He says he has raised the issue with European Council President António Costa.

Fico then issues an ultimatum:

— I am not interested in dealing with new sanctions packages against Russia until I see, in the conclusions of the EC summit, political instructions for the European Commission on how to address the crisis in the automotive industry and the high energy prices that are making the European economy completely uncompetitive.

Automotive industry and energy prices in focus

The criticism doesn't come from nowhere when it comes to Slovakia. The country's economy is heavily dependent on automobile manufacturing, a sector under severe pressure from EU green policies and global competition. At the same time, Slovakia remains heavily dependent on Russian gas and crude oil under long-term contracts, despite Brussels demanding a complete phase-out of Russian energy imports by 2027.

Bratislava plans to present more concrete proposals on the automotive sector and energy prices at the summit than what is currently in the draft conclusions.

Fico continued:

— I refuse to let such serious issues be handled in the EC conclusions with general phrases, while detailed decisions and positions are devoted to aid for Ukraine and support for the war.

Divergent line

Slovakia stands out among EU countries in its stance on the war in Ukraine. Unlike most member states, the country has refused to deliver weapons to Ukraine, opposed Ukrainian NATO membership and repeatedly turned against EU sanctions on Russia.

The majority of EU countries maintain that Western support for Ukraine must continue and support rapid military rearmament, citing the alleged threat from Russia. The Kremlin has dismissed these claims as "nonsense" and accuses Western governments of using them as a pretext for increased military spending.

Italian editor-in-chief: “We are importing poverty”

Migration crisis in Europe

Published October 16, 2025 – By Editorial
A group of migrants demonstrates in Treviso, Italy.

Recent statistics from Istat, the Italian national statistics institute, show that people with immigrant backgrounds account for a significant portion of the country's absolute poverty. At the same time, poverty levels are declining among households where both parents are Italian.

The figures have once again fueled the debate about the socioeconomic consequences of mass immigration.

The statistics show that more than one-third of immigrants, 35.6 percent, live below the poverty line - a level that is five times higher than among the Italian population.

Maurizio Belpietro, editor-in-chief of the Italian daily newspaper La Verità and an influential political commentator, has written a widely discussed column in which he argues that Italy is effectively "importing poverty".

Belpietro highlights that while non-EU citizens make up less than one-tenth of the population, they nevertheless represent just over one-third of all those living in poverty.

"Of the 2.2 million households living in poverty, i.e., do not have enough income to support a minimum standard of living, 1.5 million are Italian and 733,000 are foreigners", he writes in the newspaper.

Poverty among mixed families

Among families where one parent is Italian and the other is foreign-born, the poverty rate is 30.4 percent, according to Istat. By comparison, families where both parents are Italian citizens have a poverty rate of 6.2 percent.

Political commentator Francesca Totolo has commented on the figures on X and questions the notion that labor immigration benefits the pension system.

"It is and will be Italians who have to pay for assistance, subsidies, housing, and pensions to foreigners without resources", she writes.

Large differences between immigrant groups

The debate about immigration's economic effects is also ongoing in other European countries. The argument that large-scale immigration would be the solution to pension system challenges has increasingly been questioned as research data is presented.

However, there are significant differences between different immigrant groups. EU citizens, particularly from certain member states, often contribute positively to the economy and tax revenues, while the pattern looks different for citizens from countries outside the union.

A Dutch study showed that migration had cost the state approximately €400 billion during the period 1995-2019, and in Germany, the annual costs of mass immigration are estimated at at least €50 billion.

At the same time, analysts emphasize that calculations of migration's economic costs often underestimate the actual expenses, which in reality tend to be significantly higher than the forecasts.

"Costs more than it brings in"

French researcher and author Jean-Paul Gourévitch stated in a radio interview with Radio Sud in 2021 that employment figures do not support the picture that immigration to France provides net economic gains.

— I have studied this topic extensively and today everyone in France, from the left to the right agrees that immigration costs more than it brings in, Gourévitch explained.

He pointed out that economists with different political backgrounds estimate the costs differently. Left-leaning analysts indicate an annual deficit of €6 to €10 billion, while right-leaning ones point to figures between €40 and €44 billion.

— My own scientific research shows that the deficit is €20 to €25 billion, he said in the interview.

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