China’s high-profile celebrities fined in the millions for tax evasion

Actress Yuan Bingyan was fined almost three million yuan (RM1.9mil) by tax authorities in Chongqing. Photo: Yuang Bingyan/Weibo

Taxation authorities have pledged to step up supervision on the entertainment industry after a popular actress and an Internet influencer were hit with heavy fines for tax evasion.

Yuan Bingyan, a film and television actress who graduated from the prestigious Shanghai Theatre Academy, was fined almost three million yuan (RM1.9mil) by tax authorities in Chongqing, where her company Chongqing Liyan Culture Media Co is registered, according to a statement on the State Taxation Administration’s website.