Sima Nan, a well-known figure on Chinese social media, has been fined more than 9 million yuan ($1.24 million) after an investigation revealed he evaded tax, an inspection bureau of a Beijing branch under State Taxation Administration said on Friday.
Earlier, tax inspection authorities, relying on big data analysis, discovered that the online influencer was suspected of tax evasion and initiated an official investigation in accordance with the law.

The investigation found that from 2019 to 2023, Sima underpaid a total of over 4.6 million yuan in personal income tax, value-added tax, and other taxes through means such as concealing income and making false declarations. Additionally, a Beijing-based film planning center under his actual control underpaid 753,200 yuan in corporate income tax by methods such as falsely listing cost expenses and illegally enjoying preferential policies for small and micro enterprises.

The inspection bureau said that in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, it has recovered the owed tax fees, imposed late payment surcharges, and applied penalties, amounting to a total of 9.2694 million yuan, all of which have been fully collected.

A representative of the bureau stated that the tax authorities will continue to strengthen tax supervision in accordance with the law, strictly investigate tax-related violations, and ensure a fair and just tax and economic order.

Global Times