A top online influencer in China who was fined 18.91 million yuan (US$2.6 million) for evading nine million yuan in taxes has attracted significant attention on social media.
The case of Bai Bing, a food influencer with more than 40 million followers, was revealed by China’s State Tax Administration (STA) in late April, according to the media outlet CCTV.
The authorities said that between 2021 and 2024, Bai underpaid a total of 9.11 million yuan (US$1.3 million) of personal income tax, value-added tax and real estate tax in various ways.
In October last year, the STA made the decision to fine Bai 18.91 million yuan. This included his defaulted taxes and a late payment penalty. Bai has paid off that amount of money so far, said the authority.
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The 32-year-old is one of China’s most influential food influencers.
On one social media platform alone he has over 40 million fans and received 610 million likes in total.
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Each of his videos is liked by at least a million internet users, with one single clip even receiving 6.5 million likes.