I think ideas like this get floated because some politicians/parties need attention (and hesitate to sign up for OnlyFans). Then one day you wake up and realize a bill quietly passed.

Anyway, yeah: not EU-wide (as you said), it’s Netherlands “Box 3”. But it’s not just random blog bait either: the Dutch lower house (Tweede Kamer) voted it through on 12.02.2026, aimed for 2028 (still needs the Senate).

And the spicy part: “36%” = ~36% tax on your annual return, and for lots of assets that includes paper gains (unrealized price changes).

Pump&dump / rug-pull speedrun:
Bob has €10k. Buys a cursed shitcoin.
By Dec 31 it “moons” to €200k on paper -> +€190k.
Taxman: "Congrats Bob, you owe 36% of €190k = €68k" (even if Bob never sold a thing).
Next year (which happens next day) it rugs to 0.
Bob’s final score: -€10k (his money) -€68k (tax) = -€78k ... and all he gets is a “loss carry-forward” he can frame on the wall (no carry-back). Even if Bob was smart and only invested what he could afford to lose, gambling house (a.k.a. goverment) made him lose nearly 8x that amount.

Rule of thumb? Take part in governance, vote for people smarter than you if possible, or just smart enough. If you are not smart enough to decide, ask a smarter person who you should vote for.