Zcash advocacy group PGPZ registers to lobby Washington on CLARITY Act and crypto tax
In brief
- Pretty Good Policy for Zcash (PGPZ) filed a lobbying registration that took effect on Oct. 1.
- Divij Pandya, PGPZ's executive director, is named as the group's sole lobbyist.
- Digital Asset Market Clarity Act and two digital asset tax proposals are among the filing's listed issues.
- Zcash Community Grants approved $750,000 in August to fund PGPZ's first year.
What the filing covers
The lobbying registration lists the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act and two digital asset tax proposals among PGPZ's current and anticipated lobbying issues, as reported by Cointelegraph. Cointelegraph's report doesn't name the tax proposals.
On paper, it's a one-person operation.
Pandya is the only lobbyist on the registration. The move is an effort to shape US policy on digital assets, and it marks the privacy-oriented Zcash ecosystem stepping up its presence in Washington, per Cointelegraph's report.
Where PGPZ came from
PGPZ isn't starting from zero. The group launched in June this year and grew out of Pretty Good Policy for Crypto, an initiative that Electric Coin Co. started back in 2022. That earlier effort hosted Washington policy roundtables, and in 2023 it organized a congressional briefing on encryption technologies.
The money came from inside the ecosystem. In August, Zcash Community Grants approved a $750,000 grant to fund PGPZ's first year of work, according to Cointelegraph.
Brigner's pitch
Paul Brigner (PGPZ's founder and chief policy and regulatory officer of ZODL) told Cointelegraph the goal is to make sure Zcash has serious, organized and credible policy engagement in Washington. He framed it around privacy-preserving digital cash.
Policymakers are making decisions that will affect whether privacy-preserving digital cash can exist, be used lawfully, and serve the public interest. PGPZ is about ensuring Zcash is understood, represented, and defended in those conversations,
That's the bet. Brigner wants Zcash understood, represented and defended in the policy conversations that will shape whether privacy-preserving digital cash can exist and be used lawfully.
For now, PGPZ's footprint in Washington is a single registered lobbyist, a first-year grant of $750,000 and a short list of issues: the Clarity Act plus two digital asset tax proposals that Cointelegraph's report doesn't name.
Frequently asked questions
What is Pretty Good Policy for Zcash (PGPZ)?
PGPZ is a Zcash-focused advocacy group that launched in June this year. It grew out of Pretty Good Policy for Crypto, an initiative Electric Coin Co. started in 2022. Its founder is Paul Brigner, and Divij Pandya is its executive director.
What issues will the Zcash lobbying group work on?
According to the registration as reported by Cointelegraph, PGPZ lists the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act and two digital asset tax proposals among its current and anticipated lobbying issues. Cointelegraph's report doesn't name the tax proposals.
How is PGPZ funded?
In August, Zcash Community Grants approved a $750,000 grant to fund PGPZ's first year of work, according to Cointelegraph.
