CHINESE actress Zheng Shuang is at the center of a new controversy after it was revealed she was allegedly paid 160 million yuan (US$24.6 million) for one TV show, renewing fierce debate on income gap in China. The actress Thursday confirmed that she is now under investigation by the tax and broadcasting authorities for alleged tax evasion and hefty salaries. “I am willing to fully cooperate and will disclose the results to public,” the actress said in a statement released by her agency. Zheng’s former partner Zhang Heng posted a video on Weibo on Monday that included screenshots of alleged chats between him, Zheng and her parents, where they discussed Zheng’s payment from the upcoming drama “A Chinese Ghost Story.” According to the screenshots, Zheng had negotiated 160 million yuan for a total of 77 filming days, bringing her daily net gain to 2.08 million yuan. Zhang alleged that to avoid violating the regulation, Zheng signed two contracts, with one stating her pay of 48 million yuan and the other stating the rest of the fees as an investment to a family-connected company. In the post, he also accused Zheng of trying to get rid of her pet dog when it became sick because treatment would cost 2,000 yuan and she let it eat snacks in a supermarket without paying. The new round of controversy comes three months after Zheng was embroiled in a previous scandal when she was accused of abandoning her two children born to U.S.-based surrogate mothers. China has taken a series of actions to curb tax evasion, fake contracts and control of “unreasonable” pay rates in the TV and film industry since Chinese actress Fan Bingbing and her companies were ordered to pay about 884 million yuan in back taxes and fines. China’s National Radio and Television Administration created new rules in 2018, capping the payment to celebrities appearing in movies and TV shows below 40 percent of the total production cost, with the main actors receiving less than 70 percent of the total cost for actors. Video platforms and film companies had also followed up with a statement saying an actor should not get paid more than 50 million yuan per show. If Zhang’s allegations are true the actress could face legal consequences for tax evasion. The Chinese public was stunned by the figures and demanded the government enforce restrictions on celebrity payments. “If you get paid 5,000 yuan per month, you need to work 2,666 years to be able to make what Zheng made for one TV show,” one said online. Others said their annual salary was not even close to what Zheng is paid per hour. After working two days, she would be able to buy a house, they reasoned. In comparison, “The Fuxing Train, China’s fastest and most advanced high-speed train, is sold at 170 million yuan internationally,” said another netizen. According to a 2020 Forbes report, “Modern Family”’s Sofia Vergara tops the ranking of the world’s highest-paid actresses with US$43 million, followed by Angelina Jolie at US$35 million and Gal Gadot at US$31 million. (SD-Agencies) | 