Livestream. Photo: CFP

Following investigations into two influential livestreamers "XueliCherie," real named Zhu Chenhui, and "Lin Shanshan_Sunny," real name Lin Shanshan, Zhejiang Provincial Tax Service in Hangzhou under State Taxation Administration issued fines of 65.55 million yuan ($10.26 million) and 27.67 million yuan of evaded tax plus penalization, respectively, said the administrator on Monday. 

It was found that Zhu and Lin evaded personal income tax by setting up sole proprietorship enterprises in different places in China between 2019 and 2020 and recording their income from personal salaries as the operating income of their enterprises, which violated the relevant tax laws and disrupted the order of tax collection, said the administrator. 

According to livestreaming monitoring platform Huitun, Zhu ranked the third place in a livestreamer chart of Taobao, one of China's top e-commerce platforms, with over 33 million fans just next to the top and the second livestreamers Li Jiaqi and Wei Ya. Lin ranked the sixth place with over 10 million fans. 

Officials from the Zhejiang Provincial Tax Service in Hangzhou in East China vowed to enhance the regulation targeting tax administration in cultural and entertainment sector following related laws, in order to create a fair tax collection environment. 

Global Times