A conservative member (MP) of the United Kingdom’s Parliament has said that making payments to local authorities and utility providers with Bitcoin (BTC) should be possible, local news outlet Express reported on December 10.
According to the article, Eddie Hughes, a member of the U.K. Parliament for the Walsall North constituency, described himself as a “crypto enthusiast with amateur knowledge.” He notes that blockchain gets a lot of attention and members of the parliament have a duty to understand it.
Hughes said that he recently met with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, which accepts cryptocurrency donations, and that the encounter made him think:
“What’s to stop us from being able to pay council tax and other bills with Bitcoin?”
Those declarations come shortly after the United States state of Ohio announced that businesses will be able to pay their taxes in Bitcoin.
Praising Ohio’s new BTC tax payment option, Hughes said in relation to the U.K.’s crypto stance:
“You’re either ahead of the curve or you’re behind the curve, and our country is in an interesting position right now — we need to be seen as a progressive country.”