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在线翻译:
szdaily -> Opinion -> 
Celebrities need more stringent oversight
    2018-07-09  08:53    Shenzhen Daily

Wu Guangqiang

jw368@163.com

CHINESE media have recently been abuzz with the whistle-blowing against tax evasion involving film stars by an outspoken TV host.

Despite a few plot twists, his exposure of allegedly common practices of tax dodging, tricky contracting, and exorbitant paychecks for movie appearances among famous movie stars has sparked public fury with a clamor for intensified oversight of celebrities.

He dropped a bombshell on May 28 by leaking two film contracts allegedly signed by one of China’s A-list actresses. The first showed that she had been paid 10 million yuan (US$1.56 million) for her four-day appearance in an upcoming film. The second suggested that she had been paid an additional 50 million yuan for the same work. The TV host claimed that the dual contracts were designed for tax evasion, as the actress could submit only the first to the tax authorities while hiding the full extent of her hefty compensation.

The actress immediately issued a statement via her studio denouncing the TV host for his action, claiming that the company reserves the right to take legal action against anyone responsible for the relevant issue.

In some dramatic changes later, the TV host said the mentioned yin-yang contracts, or twin contracts, did not belong to the actress, and he did not mean to hurt her.

But the State tax watchdog is taking his exposure seriously. The State Administration of Taxation has instructed local tax bureaus to probe into “yin-yang contracts” among movie actors, and vowed to take tougher measures against tax violations.

It’s a matter of time before the actress is found guilty or innocent. But the TV host’s revelation triggered an immediate online uproar as the public is appalled by the staggering amount of wealth celebrities are amassing with ease and the extent of the greed and deception in these wealthy stars. It’s an open secret that celebrities from all walks of life are enjoying excessive privileges and little regulation.

What enrages the public most is the sky-rocketing compensation for top actors. With a booming film industry in China, surging ticket sales often result in bidding wars over the limited number of top actors/actresses who are believed to guarantee good box office. In 2017, the government regulators intervened in the market by ordering production companies to limit actors’ paychecks to no more than 40 percent of a film’s total production budget. It also added that leading actors’ salaries cannot exceed 70 percent of the total payments to the film’s full cast. But it doesn’t seem to work.

It’s widely believed that tax dodging and other deceptions are pervasive among celebrities both at home and abroad. Concerns that yin-yang contracts could be a common practice in the entertainment industry led to a sell-off of shares of several leading Chinese film and television companies.

The public also frown upon celebrities’ lavish lifestyles. Some acute observers spotted on the extravagant contractual requirements made public in the TV host’s leaks. They included the actress having full script approval, the use of two limousines, a full-time voice coach, a makeup artist to be paid a full month’s wages of US$12,500 for four days on set, and a 1,500 yuan daily food allowance.

The population are not envious of celebrities’ wealth or good life, but they do detest the privilege celebrities have that allow them to behave differently and even beyond the law.

In response to the public concern, on June 27, an official notice was jointly issued by multiple ministries involving publicity, taxation, culture, TV, film and broadcast and travel, pledging to crack down on tax evasion, yin-yang contracts and to contain irrationally high paychecks for movie stars.

As citizens, celebrities need as much oversight as others. In fact, more stringent regulation is necessary for them given their more advantageous positions and greater influence.

(The author is an English tutor and freelance writer.)

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Shenzhen Daily E-mail:szdaily@szszd.com.cn