Via was fined 1.341 billion yuan for tax evasion shocked the market, and the watershed of live streaming with goods has finally arrived?

Wen 丨 BT Finance Han

Looking back now, the quiet "Double 12" shopping festival in 2021 is more like the calm before the storm.

After sydney, the anchor with the head of the goods, was banned for suspected tax evasion, Lei finally blew up the head of the "live broadcast sister". Huang Wei (Wei Ya), who once generously claimed in front of the media that "every income is a normal income", the business empire still ushered in a rapid collapse, and the reason was actually tax evasion.

At about 4 p.m. on December 20, a number of media reported at the same time that Wei Ya was fined 1.341 billion yuan for tax evasion, a huge amount that shocked the whole network. In the short hours that followed, Wei Ya canceled the live broadcast of the night, quickly issued an apology statement, the company "took a holiday in situ", the Taobao live broadcast account was frozen, and many social media accounts such as Douyin Weibo were banned... However, Via will not be the last anchor to be "settled".

Via was fined 1.341 billion yuan for tax evasion

Although 1.341 billion yuan is an astronomical amount, from the perspective of strength, this is probably not a heavy penalty. Why? Let's take a closer look at it.

According to the Zhejiang Provincial Taxation Bureau, network anchor Wei Ya evaded taxes of 643 million yuan and other underpaid taxes by "concealing personal income, fictitious business conversion income and false declarations" in 2019-2020. In other words, the total amount of tax evasion by Via is 703 million yuan. In addition to the collection of these taxes, late fees and fines are added, which together get the figure of 1.341 billion yuan.

"21st Century Business Herald" quoted experts as calculating that from 703 million tax evasion, the taxable income involved in tax evasion was as high as more than 1.758 billion yuan.

According to the Xinhua news agency article, the Inspection Bureau of the Hangzhou Municipal Taxation Bureau revealed that in this case, it adhered to the principle of following laws and regulations, blending leniency with severity, and equal punishment. The Law of the People's Republic of China on the Administration of Tax Collection stipulates that the proportion of fines for tax evasion is more than 0.5 times and less than 5 times of the tax that is not paid or underpaid.

In view of this, The illegal acts of Wei Ya are divided into three, and the part that evades taxes but voluntarily pays back and reports is punished with a lighter penalty and a fine of 0.6 times, which can be seen to be only 0.1 times more than the minimum line stipulated by law; the part that does not take the initiative to pay back is fined 4 times; and the part that changes the nature of income is falsely declared and tax evasion is fined 1 times.

In addition, the article also mentioned that as long as Via can pay the taxes, late fees and fines within the prescribed time limit, she will not be held criminally responsible, otherwise she will be transferred to the public security organs according to law.

For such a punishment, Via posted on Weibo on the evening of December 20 that "wrong is wrong, and I am willing to bear all the consequences for my mistake." But not long after, that night, Via's Weibo social media platform was banned.

There is actually a clue to Wei Ya's punishment. On November 19, "China News Weekly" once published an article pointing out that the network anchor has become a big tax avoidant, and most of the tax approval of Li Jiaqi and Wei Ya after the "Double 11" live broadcast feast was completed in Chongming Island, Shanghai, a "tax depression"; in early December, "Interface" reported that Wei Ya and her husband's partnership was officially cancelled.

For the case of Wei Ya's punishment, The People's Daily also commented: Strengthening supervision is to draw a good track for development. According to industry insiders, the income of the head anchor of online live broadcasting is "high and complex", and it is difficult to define the nature of income. The next stage of industry supervision will focus on how to promote both norms and development.

However, how to write the future story will have nothing to do with Via. Even if one day she can return to the live broadcast room, what brand dares to cooperate with her? How many other consumers will trust her?

After the collapse of the "half of the country"

There are only two kinds of anchors with goods: one is Li Jiaqi Weiya, and the other is the other - it is not difficult to see from the evaluation of this industry insider that Wei Ya is definitely half of the live streaming with goods industry. For example, in a live broadcast on the first day of the double 11 sale in 2021 alone, Li Jiaqi and Wei Ya's sales reached 10.6 billion yuan and 8.3 billion yuan, far ahead of the third place.

After Wei Ya was exposed to tax evasion, the market naturally turned its attention to Li Jiaqi, the "lipstick brother". There are rumors that Li Jiaqi will also face relevant punishments, but his team leader responded that "thanks for the concern, we are running everything normally". On the evening of December 20, Li Jiaqi's live broadcast also started as scheduled.

The market generally believes that Wei Ya will not be the last anchor to collapse, the industry tax inspection storm has begun, and there are more anchors who need to make up for the holes left behind and the bitter fruits of self-food.

After the collapse of half of the country, how the live streaming industry will develop has become a topic that needs to be rethought. What is certain is that the industry will not disappear, but the pattern will usher in a sharp U-turn. As the People's Daily commented, the development trajectory of the industry needs to be re-demarcated.

Previously, the head anchor had absolute bargaining power, high commissions, pit fees, etc. made many merchants blocked out of the traffic pool, and it was difficult for the brand's independent live broadcast room to attract the attention of consumers. This year's "double 11" L'Oréal mask storm has also triggered new thinking in the market: can the live broadcast room only rely on the "lowest price on the whole network"? In such an environment, the merchant has lost the initiative?

Recently, waist anchors do not rely on low prices and pay attention to "misplaced competition" has become a new highlight of the industry, such as the integration of skin care classes into the live broadcast room, and there are also professional models who output clothing suggestions to attract consumers to place orders. Without the intensive "fighting hand speed", more small and beautiful live broadcast rooms have risen. If Via's collapse this time will release some market share, more waist anchors may benefit from it.

"Brand power grab, anchor give way", the development of the brand's independent live broadcast may also become a new direction of live broadcast interpretation in the second half, the future competition will still be a contest of product hard power and cost performance, with the help of the head anchor can be through marketing "vigorous miracle" will be less and less, more funds also have the opportunity to flow from marketing to research and development.

When one Via ends, there will be more Via on stage, but no matter who will grab the next opportunity in the industry reshuffle in the future, compliance with discipline and law, full tax payment is the bottom line that cannot be touched. After more than two years of barbaric growth, it is time to strengthen industry self-discipline with the rapid development of live streaming.

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