Chinese live-stream(直播) shopping influencer Huang Wei, known as Viya, has been hit with a heavy $210 million penalty(罚金) for tax evasion and kicked off social media. Viya was ordered to pay 1.34 billion yuan in back taxes, late fees and fines. It’s the largest penalty ever imposed on a live-streamer.
From 2019 to 2020, Huang evaded(逃避) more than 640 million yuan ($100 million) in taxes “by falsely reporting the commission(佣金) income she earned from live-streaming platforms,” a tax official in Hangzhou said on Monday. “If she can pay the tax, late fee and fine within the given time limit, she will not be investigated for criminal responsibility,” the official added. “If she fails... the tax authority will move it to the police department for processing according to law.”
Huang had millions of followers on China’s major social media and shopping platforms — including Weibo, online shopping platform Taobao and TikTok’s China version Douyin — but her accounts were removed late on Monday. “This account is banned due to going against the platform agreement,” a statement on Douyin read.
Huang said she was “deeply sorry”. “Wrong is wrong, I am willing to bear all consequences for my mistake,” she added. Her husband Dong Haifeng also apologized. “I did not help Viya to do a good job,” he wrote on his Weibo account. “As well as apologizing to the public, I should also apologize to my wife, Viya.”
It is not clear when Huang will be back online. In November, tax authorities put smaller fines on two other top shopping influencers and their accounts have still not been restored. Viya, 36, became one of China’s most popular influencers over the last decade. The “live-streaming queen” helped to sell goods worth billions of yuan and participated in public welfare activities organized by Alibaba-owned Taobao, by helping sell agricultural products from poorer areas, and has won government awards for her efforts.
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