Popular Chinese actor Deng Lun has been fined 106 million yuan (RM70mil) for tax evasion, according to a report released by tax authorities in Shanghai on Tuesday (March 15).
The 29-year-old star of series like fantasy romance Ashes Of Love (2018) apologised in a statement on Chinese microblogging site Weibo, where he has some 40 million followers.
He wrote: "I have reflected on my actions and understood the severity of my mistakes. I accept all decisions made by the tax authorities, I will be responsible for the consequences and continue to work hard in the future."
According to the authorities, Deng made false declarations and evaded 47.66 million yuan (RM31mil) in personal income tax from 2019 to 2020. He also underpaid personal income tax of 13.99 million yuan (RM9mil) in the same period.
The report said he took the initiative to pay back 44.55 million yuan (RM29mil) in taxes and admitted to other tax-related wrongdoing of his own accord.
In an additional report, the Shanghai tax authorities said they had suspected Deng of tax evasion and urged him to rectify the situation, but he did not do so satisfactorily. He was ordered to pay 106 million yuan (RM70mil) in fines, late fees and unpaid taxes.
The actor's personal accounts on Weibo and short-video platform Douyin - along with his studio's social media accounts - were later suspended and made unavailable.
According to Chinese entertainment news outlets, Deng's name has also been removed from dramas he starred in on some streaming sites - including Ashes Of Love, Because Of You (2016) and Sweet Dreams (2018).
Brands have also rushed to drop him. Cosmetics company L'Oreal and home appliance brand Viomi Technologies are among those that terminated their partnership with Deng.
He is not the first high-profile tax-dodging celebrity in China.
In December 2021, Viya, China's top live-streaming saleswoman, was fined a whopping 1.34 billion yuan. A-list actress Fan Bingbing was also fined around 880 million yuan in October 2018, after mysteriously disappearing from public view for three months. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
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