Zheng Shuang Found Guilty of Tax Evasion, Her Ex Who First Accused Her Is Also Being Investigated

Zheng Shuang saw her career come to a halt after being accused of abandoning her two children born through surrogacy in the United States since her relationship with ex Zhang Heng went south. Back in April, Zheng Shuang admitted that she was also under investigation for tax evasion.

Zheng Shuang Fined $46 million

On August 27, CCTV news reported that Shanghai tax authorities have slapped the actress with a fine of 299 million yuan (approx 46m USD). In the latest drama remake of “A Chinese Ghost Story” that Zheng Shuang shot in 2019, she was revealed to have received 156 million yuan (approx 24m USD) out of the agreed upon 160 million yuan (approx 25m USD) in talent fees which she failed to declare. She evaded taxes of 43 million yuan and underpaid 16 million in other taxes. At the same time, she was also found to have other income of 35.07 million yuan, evaded taxes of 2.24 million and underpaid 10.34 million in other taxes.

The Shanghai Municipal Tax Service has collected taxes from her in accordance with the law and imposed a total fine of 299 million yuan. As it is her first offence, she has not received criminal penalties provided she pays everything back in full. Although he was the whistleblower, Zhang Heng who was her manager at the time is also under investigation for helping Zheng Shuang evade taxes. Companies involved are also under investigation.

Before the news came out, Zheng Shuang’s past works like Love O2O and Sword of Legends were taken down from Chinese video platforms.

A Chinese Ghost Story Will No Longer Air

In the meantime, the high renumeration received by celebrities in China has come into question many times. There was a move since a few years ago to put a cap on it so that it does not exceed total production cost for any TV series, web series or movie. Given Zheng Shuang’s run in with tax authorities, the offending drama A Chinese Ghost Story that she shot with Neo Hou Minghao will no longer be allowed to air.

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