Trish Turner has stepped down as the head of the digital assets division at the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) after approximately three months in the position.
“After more than 20 years with the IRS, I have closed an extraordinary chapter of my career with deep appreciation for those who shaped my journey and made the work so meaningful,” Turner stated in a LinkedIn post on Friday.
“Together, we navigated complex challenges, built lasting programs, and laid the groundwork for the IRS’s digital asset strategy as it transitioned from niche to mainstream,” Turner added.
Turner is reportedly transitioning to the private sector
Turner did not specify her next steps in her post, but mentioned she looks “forward to continuing this mission from a new perspective and to building bridges between industry and regulators.”
Bloomberg Tax reported on Friday that Turner revealed in an interview that she will take on the role of tax director at the crypto tax firm Crypto Tax Girl. On the same day, Laura Walter, founder of Crypto Tax Girl, announced on LinkedIn that Turner will join the firm.
“With significant crypto tax and compliance changes on the horizon, we are thrilled to have Trish on board to help advise our clients,” Walter commented.
Source: Crypto Tax Girl
Turner’s resignation comes just over three months after she was appointed to lead the digital asset division in May, following the departure of Sulolit “Raj” Mukherjee and Seth Wilks, two private-sector experts brought in to head the IRS’s crypto unit, after almost a year in their roles.
Economist Timothy Peterson reacted to the news, saying, “Trish Turner left the Dark Side to become a Crypto Jedi Knight.”
Crypto tax has emerged as a primary focus in the US
This follows the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) proposal in March to reduce the IRS workforce by 20% and several recent developments concerning US crypto taxation.
Related: 5 countries where crypto is (surprisingly) tax-free in 2025
On July 11, Cointelegraph reported that the House Committee on Ways and Means and Oversight Subcommittee leadership announced they had arranged a July hearing to focus on “affirmative steps needed to establish a tax policy framework on digital assets.”
Just days earlier, on July 4, the US Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration urged reforms to the IRS criminal investigation division’s handling of digital assets, citing repeated failures to adhere to established protocols.
Meanwhile, on April 11, US President Donald Trump signed a joint congressional resolution overturning a Biden administration-era rule that would have mandated decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols to report transactions to the IRS.
Cointelegraph reached out to Trish Turner for a comment but did not receive a response by the publication time.
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