The Income Tax Department sleuths on Thursday conducted raids at houses and offices of prominent YouTubers and content creators across Kerala. The raids were conducted after it came to light that many YouTubers and video content creators were not paying taxes proportionate to their income.
The raids took place at houses and offices of 13 prominent YouTubers and content creators including actress Pearle Maaney. Raids were conducted in Ernakulam, Pathanamthitta, Thrissur, Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Kasargod districts.
Income Tax Department sources said that the YouTubers claim that they have no fixed income, and the monthly payments they receive from YouTube and other social media platforms are dependent on the viewership of their content. This has caused confusion in terms of tax payment.
The IT team also examined the bank statements and other transaction details related to the revenue earned by these respective YouTubers. IT sources also said more raids targeting other YouTubers in the state are scheduled to take place in the following days.