Chinese tax authorities have ordered X-Men star Fan Bingbing and companies she represents to pay taxes and penalties totaling $130 million, ending speculation over one of the country's highest-profile entertainers since she disappeared from public view three months ago, the AP reports. Of the total amount, Fan is being personally fined around $70 million for tax evasion, according to an announcement carried by China's official Xinhua News Agency on Wednesday, citing tax authorities. Fan would not be investigated for criminal responsibility for tax evasion as long as the taxes, fines, and late fees amounting to nearly $130 million were paid on time, the report said. The announcement gave no indication as to Fan's whereabouts, but indicated her agent was being held by police for allegedly obstructing the investigation.
Fan has starred in dozens of movies and TV series in China and is best known internationally for her role as Blink in 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past. Fan posted an apology on her official account on the social media site Weibo, saying that she accepts the tax authorities' decision and would "try my best to overcome all difficulties and raise funds to pay back taxes and fines." "I am unworthy of the trust of the society and let down the fans who love me," she wrote in her first update since June 2. Fan evaded 7.3 million yuan in taxes by using a secret contract worth 20 million yuan that she signed for starring in the film Air Strike. She instead paid taxes on a contract for only 10 million yuan. It's a reportedly common entertainment industry practice—an actor having a public contract stating an official salary and a private contract detailing actual, much higher pay.
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