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The clerical dictatorship has officially enacted a new law titled the “Capital Gains and Speculation Tax,” announced by its president Masoud Pezeshkian in August 2025. While officials present the measure as a strategy to curb speculation and unproductive investments, critics point out that the law effectively taxes ordinary citizens on inflation, adding to the population’s already crushing economic burdens.
The law, passed by parliament on June 29, 2025, and confirmed by the Guardian Council on July 22, was formally signed into effect by Pezeshkian on August 16, according to both Tasnim and Mehr News. It consists of 28 articles and applies to transactions involving real estate, cars, gold, jewelry, foreign currency, and cryptocurrencies.
State media insist that the measure targets “non-productive” markets. Tasnim wrote: “The goal of this law is to curb speculation in non-productive markets such as housing, automobiles, gold, and foreign exchange, and to channel capital toward productive activity. By taxing repeated and short-term transactions, the law seeks to redirect liquidity toward national production.”
Amid soaring political dissent in #Iran, tax evasion emerges as a social response to the regime's overtaxing as people try to thwart exploitation by their oppressors. pic.twitter.com/9E6hVt5yaO
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 18, 2024
The law introduces a tiered tax structure:
- Assets sold within one year are subject to rates up to 40 percent of the gains.
- Assets held for one to two years face 10–15 percent taxation.
- Assets held longer than two years may qualify for reduced rates or even exemptions.
Exemptions apply to the first residential unit and one vehicle per household, as well as to agricultural, industrial, or mining properties directly linked to productive activities. Inheritances, family transfers, and property received as gifts are also excluded.
Implementation relies on a new nationwide transaction-tracking system. The Ministry of Economy must design a “smart platform” connected to registries, banks, the stock exchange, and customs offices. As Tasnim explained: “No transfer of property, cars, or digital assets can be registered without prior tax clearance. Notaries and trading platforms are obliged to verify tax certificates before any transaction is finalized.”
#Iran News in Brief
In an article exposing the fact that the clerical regime is subjecting ordinary Iranian citizens to one of the highest #tax rates globally, the state-run website Khabar Online wrote, "According to the law, institutions like the Astan Quds Razavi, the Holy… pic.twitter.com/PIcYipKgUT— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) September 6, 2023
To deter tax evasion, penalties include fines up to double the unpaid tax, bans on business activities for up to two years, and suspension of asset transfers.
Officials argue that less than 5 percent of citizens will be affected, claiming the law primarily targets short-term speculators and multiple-property owners. Yet for many Iranians struggling with record inflation, the measure represents another attempt by the regime to extract revenue from ordinary households. Critics highlight the contradiction of a government that creates inflation through systemic mismanagement now punishing citizens forced to navigate distorted markets.