Wow good read. I think at the end of the day....Talk to a CPA of a financial professional professional. We can talk about it and go back and forth but what ultimately matters is what a CPA thinks. If Jerry is smart and really making a significant amount of money he is going to hire 2-3 accountants, and a few lawyers.
Never rely on one persons opinion-get two or three opinions.
Lastly, the correlation point of WoW Gold and Counter Strike Skins is a stretch BECAUSE it is not an INCOME producing Asset. It does not generate revenue for the user. Revenue generating is a TOP focus for the IRS. Because if ANYTHING its making money they want to know that you are making money.
I am not a CPA or a financial adviser. I am sharing my personal story.
Thanks
Most CPAs literally do not know anything about cryptocurrency. They have no idea what they are doing in this space. You're talking about dealing with people who are still at the level of "the internet is a series of tubes".
WoW Gold is just as income producing as Steem Power is. There are thousands of companies generating MMO gold and selling it. It is immediately fungible, much more so than Steem Power. There's no meaningful distinction here.
In fact, the argument for taxing all WoW gold is even stronger than for taxing Steem. Just like the IRS thinks it deserves to tax you on $100 if you find a $100 bill.