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Updated August 27th, 2021 at 19:35 IST

Xi govt fines top Chinese star $46M & bans her from entertainment industry for tax evasion

Zheng Shuang has been slapped with a mammoth fine of USD 46 million by the Chinese Communist regime against what is claimed to be a case of tax evasion.

Reported by: Pritesh Kamath
China
IMAGE: AP | Image:self
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A leading Chinese actress has been slapped with a mammoth fine of USD 46 million (299 million yuan) by the Chinese Communist regime against what is claimed to be a case of tax evasion. Zheng Shuang, the actress has also been banned from participating in any show on the Chinese radio, television or online platforms. This is being considered another crackdown by the Xi Jinping led regime on celebrity culture, as the crackdown has been an addition to the crackdown cases on popular tech honchos like Jack Ma and others.

Shanghai Tax Authorities have penalised Zheng Shuang for tax evasion and undisclosed income while filming a TV series between 2019-20. Immediately after the Tax Authority's announcement, the TV series in which Zheng starred was banned from broadcasting, and all broadcasters and video service platforms are prohibited from inviting Zheng for the show, whereas the current shows of Zheng are also directed to stop broadcasting, according to state-run media Global Times. Following the orders on priority, several TV dramas Zheng acted in have been removed from major video platforms.

The state administration of the Radio, Film and Television has said it practices zero tolerance for tax evasions and ambiguous contracts used in the Chinese entertainment industry to conceal the actual payment.

Other crackdowns by Chinese regime

However, this aggressive crackdown on the actress is being considered as a campaign against celebrity culture. The dictatorial nature of the Chinese Government that remains apprehensive of the people who have a mass following in the country and elsewhere is not a hidden fact.

Reportedly, search results for another famous Chinese actress Vicky Zhao were also censored from major Chinese video streaming sites, while her name was removed from credits of major TV series. According to international reports, fan pages and hashtags dedicated to Zhao on social media were also taken down.

This is not the first time the Chinese regime has targeted an industry. Besides the entertainment industry, the Xi Jinping led regime has also led a crackdown on the tech industry and not even sparing the country's billionaires; the likes of Alibaba founder Jack Ma and food delivery firm Meituan's CEO Wang Xing facing the wrath of the dictatorial regime. Moreover, Hong Kong-based pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily was also forced to close due to the Chinese regime's crackdown, making it one of the many examples adding to the testimony of atrocities by the Chinese regime.

Image Credit: AP

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Published August 27th, 2021 at 19:35 IST

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