BEIJING: China's tax regulator said on Wednesday that it will crack down on tax evasion in its booming livestreaming industry, and will start requiring online platforms to report livestreamers' identities, income and profits every six months.
"Livestreaming has played an important role in recent years in promoting flexible employment," it said. Livestreaming has surged in popularity in China, with millions of influencers running channels such as of Douyin, the Chinese equivalent of TikTok, Kuaishou and other short video platforms, where they talk about topics including lifestyle, food, games and travel.
Internet celebrity Viya, whose real name is Huang Wei and was known China for her sales prowess, was fined 1.34 billion yuan last December for hiding personal income and other offences in 2019 and 2020.