a16z and other organizations jointly submitted an amicus brief opposing Illinois's 0.2% cryptocurrency transaction tax
According to The Block, the DeFi Education Fund, Paradigm, Uniswap, and a16z led the submission of an amicus brief supporting the legal challenge by the crypto industry against Illinois' Digital Asset Tax Act. Aave Labs, Chainlink Labs, Figment, Phantom, Hyperliquid Policy Center, Solana Policy Institute, Stand With Crypto, and others co-signed the brief.The brief argues that the law is overly broad, imposes unfavorable tax treatment on transactions involving blockchain technology, and fails to clearly distinguish between taxable digital asset businesses and software and network infrastructure that helps users trade independently. It is estimated that 2.64 million residents in Illinois hold digital assets, ranking fifth in the nation.The law was signed by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker in June 2026 and imposes a 0.2% tax on digital asset transactions, originally set to take effect in January 2027 but postponed to July 2027. The Blockchain Association, Crypto Council for Innovation, and The Digital Chamber had previously filed a lawsuit against Illinois regarding this matter.