China fines another live-streamer after tax evasion probe widens

A live-streamer sells products ahead of the Singles’ Day shopping festival on November 11, 2021 at a JD outsourcing livestream company in Beijing on Nov 9, 2021. The crackdown on China’s booming live-streaming sector marks an escalation in President Xi Jinping’s campaign against illegal sources of income, part of a ‘common prosperity’ drive that aims to narrow the wealth gap. — AFP

China has fined another live-streaming personality for tax evasion, expanding a probe that’s ensnared some of the country’s most popular influencers and disrupted e-commerce at Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.

Ping Rong, a Guangzhou-based live-streamer, was fined 62mil yuan (RM41.01mil) for evading taxes in 2019 and 2020, the State Taxation Administration said in a statement. The influencer commanded a following of about 24 million fans on the video platform Kuaishou Technology. As of Tuesday afternoon, Ping didn’t show up on in-app searches.