Amid Fan Bingbing storm, five celebrities who had tax troubles and how they paid for them
As China cracks down on tax avoiders in the television and film industry, we take a look at some of the wealthy stars who have fallen foul of the taxman in various ways
China’s film and television industry is feeling the heat this week after the government launched a tax evasion probe into the sector. The investigation targets actors accused of signing so called “yin-yang” contracts – one contract setting out payment terms and a second one with a lower figure for the tax authorities as a way to avoid paying tax.
Liu Xiaoqing on how she started all over again after serving jail time
The crackdown comes after an online storm blew up between TV presenter Cui Yongyuan and actress Fan Bingbing. Earlier Cui had published images of documents on his social media account claiming they were copies of different contracts signed by the actress for the same job, the main difference being the size of her fee.
Here are five other celebrities who have got into tax trouble.
1. Liu Xiaoqing
The last time a high-profile Chinese artist was embroiled in a tax investigation was in 2002, when 1980s actress Liu Xiaoqing was imprisoned for a year for tax evasion. The case was connected to her company, Beijing Xiaoqing Culture and Arts Company. As well as the prison term, she was fined 7.1 million yuan.
In 1999, Liu was named one of the richest people in China, appearing at 45 on Forbes’ list of the 50 richest Chinese businessmen and businesswomen.
