China's tax authorities have repeatedly exposed tax-related cases involving online streamers. State media published an article stating that for internet streamers who wish to enjoy lasting popularity, paying taxes according to law is a compulsory course for ensuring long-term career development.
On Monday (January 26), Chinese state media Economic Daily published an article stating that in recent years, tax authorities have systematically rectified tax evasion by online celebrities and stars. The number of professional online streamers has reached as many as 38.8 million. The industry’s continued prosperity and high-quality development rely on a regulated and orderly environment. For streamers pursuing “lasting popularity,” paying taxes according to law is an essential guarantee for their career development.
Earlier, China's State Taxation Administration announced that in the first 11 months of 2025, tax authorities investigated and dealt with 1,818 so-called “double-high” personnel, including celebrities and influencers, and collected a total of 1.523 billion yuan (1 billion ringgit) in additional taxes.
The Economic Daily article said that the “Internet Platform Enterprises’ Tax Information Reporting Regulations,” to be introduced and implemented in China in 2025, clearly require internet platform enterprises to submit the identity and income information of operators and workers on their platforms accurately and on time. This will bridge the information gap between platform data and tax supervision, allowing tax authorities to promptly and precisely grasp the income sources of online celebrities and stars, promptly detect issues such as concealed income or income splitting, and effectively investigate and deal with related tax evasion according to law.
The Economic Daily article said that the “Internet Platform Enterprises’ Tax Information Reporting Regulations,” to be introduced and implemented in China in 2025, clearly require internet platform enterprises to submit the identity and income information of operators and workers on their platforms accurately and on time. This will bridge the information gap between platform data and tax supervision, allowing tax authorities to promptly and precisely grasp the income sources of online celebrities and stars, promptly detect issues such as concealed income or income splitting, and effectively investigate and deal with related tax evasion according to law.
The article pointed out that some online streamers lack tax awareness and take chances, using various means to evade taxes. Some streamers have accounts with over 30 million followers and receive payments through third-party personal accounts to hide labor income; others deliberately conceal livestream e-commerce revenue, falsely list costs, or fail to declare according to law. The essence of these behaviors is the concealment of income and false reporting to evade tax obligations, but ultimately, they have not escaped the close supervision of the tax authorities and have fallen into the net of the law.