Damien Venuto: Social media influencers receiving freebies in for a tax surprise from IRD
22 Apr, 2021 01:59 AM
5 minutes to read
Influencers will need to brush up on their tax obligations in the coming years. Photo / 123RF
Influencers will need to brush up on their tax obligations in the coming years. Photo / 123RF
OPINION:
Social media influencers better think twice about accepting all the free swag they re offered. A draft statement published this week by the Inland Revenue Department suggests that in certain circumstances so-called content creators could be liable to pay tax on any free items they ve received from brands.
The 47-page IRD document strives to offer guidance to gamers, streamers, bloggers, influencers, artists and any other online creators on meeting their tax obligations.
Assembly Elections 2021 | Cash, other freebies seizures top ₹1,000 crore
Updated:
Updated:
Tamil Nadu tops with inducements worth ₹446.28 crore recovered.
Share Article
AAA
Officials count cash seized at Tiruchi during Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections on March 24, 2021. | Photo Credit:
PTI
Tamil Nadu tops with inducements worth ₹446.28 crore recovered. The Election Commission on Friday said it had seized cash, liquor, drugs, precious metals and other freebies worth ₹1,001.43 crore meant for distribution to voters in the ongoing Assembly elections.
“Seizures crossed ₹1,000 crore for the first time in any Assembly electoral process,” the EC said in a statement.
Of the total seizures as on Thursday in Assam, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and the States where byelections are being conducted, Tamil Nadu topped the tally with seizures of ₹446.28 crore.
Going beyond Tamil Nadu’s ‘freebies’ narrative
Updated:
Updated:
April 04, 2021 23:43 IST
Other important promises that could touch, and likely improve, the lives of millions rarely make headlines
Share Article
AAA
Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam presents a free bicycle to a student at Palanichettipatti near Theni on December 30, 2020. | Photo Credit: The Hindu
Other important promises that could touch, and likely improve, the lives of millions rarely make headlines
Disparaging references to “freebies” are a popular trope of media coverage of elections in Tamil Nadu. This Assembly election is no different: free data, free tabs, free washing machines were in the news as political parties released their election manifestos. Electoral promises serve as a road map for elected governments and deserve greater scrutiny. I took a quick look at the full manifestos in English of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Indian National Congress, the Makkal Nee
Redemption time for the Tamil Nadu voter
April 03, 2021
Politicians, by creating and fostering a culture of free handouts, don’t realise there’s a gradual decline in the belief that hard work and thrift will take you ahead in life - The Hindu
Politicians, by creating and fostering a culture of free handouts, don’t realise there’s a gradual decline in the belief that hard work and thrift will take you ahead in life - The Hindu×
The people have a chance to say no to the culture of freebies
On April 6, about 6.26 crore voters of Tamil Nadu will elect a new government. The polls are as much a test for them as for the government or even the opposition.
Freebies for votes
From gold
thalis and mixer-grinders in the past, competitive clientelism in Tamil Nadu has escalated this election season on the home appliances and electronics front with the AIADMK proffering washing machines and free-of-cost cable TV connection and the DMK laying out tablets and computers. The ruling party added ₹1,500 per month assistance to women over the ₹1,000 promised by the DMK. Promises on job quotas were common in the two rivals’ manifestos released within 24 hours of each other last weekend. Notwithstanding the exceptionalism that marks the patron-client polity in Tamil Nadu, the sheer scale of it this year is remarkable.