Recently, a tax evasion case involving Internet celebrities Xiao Ma Ge and his wife has attracted widespread attention from the society. According to the Inspection Bureau of the Henan Provincial Taxation Bureau of the State Administration of Taxation, the bureau conducted tax inspections on online anchors Ma Haitao and Liang Na (i.e., Xiao Ma Ge and his wife) in accordance with the law, and found that the two had tax evasion from 2020 to 2022.
It is reported that Ma Haitao and Liang Na, as well-known figures in the online live broadcast industry, obtain income through live broadcast and other methods. However, during the inspection by the tax department, the two were found to have made false declarations by concealing commission income from live streaming and converting the nature of income, thereby underpaying personal income tax, value-added tax and other taxes and fees by as much as 2.07 million yuan.
In this regard, the Inspection Bureau of the Luoyang Municipal Taxation Bureau of the State Administration of Taxation in accordance with the "Administrative Punishment Law of the People's Republic of China" and the "Tax Collection and Administration Law of the People's Republic of China" and other relevant laws and regulations, recovered the underpayment of taxes and fees, imposed late fees and imposed fines on Ma Haitao and Liang Na, with a total fine of 3.17 million yuan. A few days ago, the tax inspection department has served the "Tax Treatment Decision" and the "Tax Administrative Penalty Decision" in accordance with the law, and Ma Haitao and Liang Na have also paid off the taxes, late fees and fines in accordance with the regulations.
Regarding this tax evasion case, the relevant person in charge of the Inspection Bureau of the Henan Provincial Taxation Bureau of the State Administration of Taxation said that the tax department will further strengthen the tax supervision of practitioners in the online live broadcast industry and severely crack down on tax evasion and other illegal acts. At the same time, it also calls on the majority of online live broadcast practitioners to consciously abide by tax laws and regulations, pay taxes in good faith, and jointly maintain a good tax order.
The incident has also raised public concerns about the tax regulation of the online live streaming industry. As an emerging format, live streaming has developed rapidly in recent years, but there are also some chaos. In order to maximize profits, some online anchors do not hesitate to use various means to evade taxes, which seriously damages the state's tax interests and social fairness and justice. Therefore, it is imperative to strengthen the tax supervision of the online live broadcast industry.
For the online live broadcast industry, the strengthening of tax supervision will not only help safeguard the national tax interests and social fairness and justice, but also promote the healthy development of the industry. By standardizing the tax order, we can guide the online live broadcast industry to a more standardized and professional path, and provide consumers with more high-quality and legal live broadcast content and services.
In short, as an emerging business format, the webcast industry needs to pay more attention to compliance with tax laws and regulations and industry self-discipline while developing rapidly. The tax authorities should also strengthen the supervision of the online live broadcast industry, severely crack down on tax evasion and other illegal acts, and escort the healthy development of the industry. At the same time, the majority of online live broadcast practitioners should also raise their awareness of taxation, consciously abide by tax laws and regulations, and contribute to creating a fair, just and transparent tax environment.