Institutionalization of taxation of digital platforms and cryptocurrencies in Russia: challenges and legal guidelines

The paper discusses the key challenges, trends, and institutional constraints affecting how Russia taxes its current digital economy. The paper is focused on two emerging segments, including digital service aggregator platforms and cryptocurrency transactions, as new sources of revenue, risks, and opportunities for public finance. The study compares Russian laws with international practices (EU, US) and provides in-depth quantitative evaluations of the shadow economy’s magnitude, the scale of fiscal shortfalls, and the potential increase in tax revenues resulting from their decriminalization. Effective tax rates were calculated based on the current progressive personal income taxation, the income structure of contractors, and features of the digital market. The author models the fiscal effects of integrating cryptocurrency transactions into the national taxation system and estimates possible thresholds. The paper substantiates the need for a smart fiscal management model using big data, artificial intelligence algorithms, and automated systems to exchange information between platforms and the Federal Tax Service. The findings allow to develop proposals for updating legal definitions and data transfer regulations, promoting voluntary legalization, and developing a strategy to reform the taxation system aimed at sustainably expanding the revenue base and regulating public finances in the Russian Federation.