Viya, The Famous Livestreamer, Owes More Than $200M In Taxes

China has been cracking down on tax evasion throughout the country, especially in celebrities pulling in a hefty income. In recent news, the famous live streamer Viya (Huang Wei) was recently ordered to pay $210 million after not paying taxes from her internet business. 

Viya sells just about anything you can think of on her live streaming show based on the shopping platform Taobao. VICE reports that she’s sold snacks, cosmetics, cars, and even a $6 million rocket. Viya allegedly started her career as a clothing retailer but wanted to broaden her horizons with the thriving e-commerce industry in China. 

She quickly came out on top as a household name after selling various products, all of which have given her multimillion-dollar earnings each day. Now, when you think of online live streaming shopping in China, chances are your mind drifts to 36-year-old Viya. 

Her show consists of different segments where she persuades viewers into purchasing various products. Something so simple has helped her become one of the wealthiest people in the country. According to the financial outlet New Fortune, Viya’s family has a net worth of 9 billion Chinese Yuan ($1.4 billion).

On Monday, all that came to a halt when the Hangzhou tax authority ordered she pay $210 million in evaded taxes. It’s said that the live streamer owed $100 million in taxes in 2019 and 2020, but she kept her income well hidden and created false reports concerning her business earnings. 

As per VICE, Viya now has to pay back 1.34 billion Chinese Yuan in taxes and penalties, which comes out to $210 million. As we mentioned earlier, China is starting to track down those with generous incomes and ensure they’re paying taxes. We also saw live streamer Cherie (Zhu Chenhiu) get hit with a $10 million fee after evading taxes and penalties. 

There have also been reports of musicians like Fang BingBing, a pop star who was banned from performing and releasing music because of tax evasion. Still, there’s no word on whether Viya will be able to conduct her ritual live-streamed e-commerce show, but Taobao has since suspended her channel after hearing the news. 

Viya did release an apology video on a different blogging platform called Weibo, in which she looked distraught and thoroughly apologized for her mistakes, noting that she’s ready to face all consequences as a result of her actions.