Enlarge image
Shopping influencer Viya: »My ambition is to offer my fans everything they need«,
Photo: Chan Yu / Imaginechina / AP
Chinese influencer Viya has been fined around 1.3 billion yuan (€ 181 million) for tax evasion.
According to Chinese authorities, 36-year-old Huang Wei, known on the Internet as the "livestream queen" Viya, evaded 643 million yuan in taxes in 2019 and 2020 by hiding income from the tax authorities and filing false tax returns .
A late surcharge and a fine are added to the back tax payment.
In total, the amount requested by the tax authority in Zhejiang Province is 1.341 billion yuan.
It's one of the harshest sentences ever imposed on a Chinese star.
Chinese actress Zheng Shuang was sentenced to pay the equivalent of 39 million euros for tax evasion.
Viya sells everything - from doorbells to toothbrushes
Viya, which has 110 million followers in various online networks, organizes so-called "shopping livestreams" in which she presents products to customers. Usually cosmetics, household appliances, ready meals or clothing, but also houses and cars. According to Bloomberg, it generated sales of more than 400 million euros on Singles Day, the largest shopping event in China. "I position myself as someone who helps the customer to make a decision - I have to think about his needs," Viya told the US news agency. "My ambition is to give my fans everything they need," she said. “Doorbells, carpets, toothbrushes, furniture, mattresses, everything.” To do this, she uses the platform of the e-commerce giant Alibaba. The company enables the audience towatch a live stream at the same time, chat with other viewers and select and order a product.
Viya published a detailed apology on the Weibo online service.
"In the course of the investigation" she discovered that she had violated tax laws, the influencer said.
She is therefore "very remorseful" and apologizes to the public.
She fully accepts the penalty imposed on her by the tax authorities.
Viya was fined 530,000 yuan back in June for violating advertising laws after she was charged with trading counterfeit products.
hej / AFP
