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China’s celebrities and internet influencers given 10 days to pay outstanding taxes
- Tax bureaus in some of nation’s most prosperous regions tell those with unpaid or incorrectly filed taxes to take action before year’s end or face punishment
- It comes days after top e-commerce influencer Huang Wei, also known as Viya, was fined a record US$210 million for tax evasion
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Tax bureaus in some of China’s most prosperous regions have given celebrities and internet influencers a deadline of 10 days to pay their outstanding taxes, according to a notice issued on Wednesday.
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The tax authorities in Beijing and Shanghai, and the provinces of Guangdong, Zhejiang and Jiangsu, have ordered those with outstanding taxes or who have filed their taxes incorrectly to promptly report and correct their filings before the end of the year, or face severe punishment, the government notice said.
It was issued days after one of China’s top e-commerce influencers, Huang Wei – also known as Viya – was fined a record 1.34 billion yuan (US$210 million) for tax evasion. Two other influencers were also punished and their Chinese social media accounts were deleted for the same offence in November.
“Celebrities, internet influencers and other public figures should strictly comply with tax regulations even more,” the notice said. “Those refusing to self-assess their [tax obligation] or who have done so incorrectly will be severely punished by the tax bureau in accordance with the laws and regulations.”
The Zhejiang provincial tax authority said Viya had avoided more than 700 million yuan in taxes from 2019 to 2020, and would not face any criminal charges as long as she paid the fine. Viya and her husband have apologised and promised to take full responsibility.
Viya sold 8.25 billion yuan worth of products on the Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao for this year’s Singles’ Day shopping event in November. Another top influencer, Li Jiaqi, pushed 10.62 billion yuan worth of goods, according to data from Taobao.
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