China fines social media influencer RM70.92mil for tax evasion

A file photo of livestreaming sessions by Chinese livestreamers Li Jiaqi and Viya, whose real name is Huang Wei, (left) seen on Alibaba’s ecommerce app Taobao. Huang was fined US$210mil (RM924.31mil) in December last year and has since disappeared from public view. Li also abruptly disappeared from the Internet. — Reuters

China fined a social media influencer US$16.11mil (RM70.92mil) for tax evasion, the latest punishment meted out to one of the country’s top online personalities amid a nationwide crackdown.

Xu Guohao, who livestreams on Momo, was ordered to pay 108mil yuan (US$16.11mil or RM70.92mil) in back taxes, late fees and fines for tax evasion from 2019 to 2020, according to a statement from State Taxation Administration. It plans to further strengthen tax supervision of people in the livestreaming industry, the statement said.