Saddled with heavy debt, the Chinese regime has begun doubling down on enforcing the collection of taxes across all sectors of society.
Not only are most of China’s provincial and municipal governments in the red, but China’s debt-to-GDP ratio—which includes central and local government, corporate, and household debt—has grown to 2.55, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
It’s no wonder the Chinese regime is devising a number of methods—both fair and foul—to extract taxes from its citizens. The most recent notable example is the case of movie star Fan Bingbing—which implicated China’s entertainment industry at large.
Entertainment Industry
After allegations of tax evasion emerged earlier this year, Fan disappeared from public view for months. Media reports later revealed that she was under surveillance at a holiday resort in Jiangsu Province while being investigated by the Chinese regime.
On Oct. 3, state-run media Xinhua reported that Fan was ordered to pay about 884 million yuan ($129 million) in overdue taxes and fines, for evading taxes on payments for her acting roles, as well as on amounts owed by companies she represented.
