Celebrities' tax payments published

The art studio of youth idol and singer Zhang Yixing tops the annual list for Chinese celebrities' tax payments in Hengdian, Dongyang, one of China's biggest film and television production centers, according to a list released by local authorities on Wednesday. 

The 27-year-old Zhang paid 19.13 million yuan ($2.83 million) in 2018, followed by actresses Yang Mi (15.53 million yuan) and Jing Tian (10.43 million yuan). 

Hengdian Studios, also a tourist attraction, is dubbed China's film and TV series production hub, where about 70 percent of the country's films and TV series are shot annually. A number of ancient buildings, including the palace of Qin Shihuang, China's first emperor, have been replicated there.

An industry-wide tax probe emerged across the nation's entertainment sector after Fan Bingbing, one of China's most famous actresses, was fined 884 million yuan by the tax authorities for tax evasion last year.

So far, a total of 11.75 billion yuan ($1.73 billion) in unpaid taxes have been filed with tax authorities by Dec 31 last year, after the film and TV industry examined its taxpaying practices, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Among the filings, 11.55 billion yuan have been paid, according to the State Administration of Taxation.