US EditionTax Audits Target Hong Kong Journalists, News Outlets as Press Freedom Concerns Intensify - Committee to Protect Journalists
- Since November 2023, at least six independent Hong Kong media outlets and 20 associated individuals have faced backdated tax audits and demands from the Inland Revenue Department.
- These audits occurred amid a broader decline in press freedom linked to Beijing's 2020 national security law and come after shuttered outlets like Apple Daily and Stand News.
- Several independent news organizations and journalists in Hong Kong have faced tax audits alleging undeclared income from 2017 to 2019, with reports highlighting that these investigations have caused operational disruptions and included apparent inaccuracies.
- Selina Cheng, chair of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, said the tax demands are "unreasonable" and include mistakes such as requiring payment for non-existent companies, while the IRD maintains it follows set procedures.
- The Committee to Protect Journalists and others see these audits as intimidation tactics akin to actions by authoritarian regimes, raising serious concerns over Hong Kong’s environment for press freedom and business reliability.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Tax audits target Hong Kong journalists, news outlets as press freedom concerns intensify - Committee to Protect Journalists
New York, May 22, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply alarmed by multiple reports of “unreasonable” tax audits targeting at least six Hong Kong independent media outlets and around 20 journalists and their families, and calls on the Hong Kong government to end its weaponization of financial and tax measures against the press. The Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP), InMedia, The Witness, ReNews, and Boomhead are among the outlets that ha…
Independent Hong Kong Media Targeted with Tax Audits
In yet another challenge to press freedom in Hong Kong, government authorities have targeted numerous independent media outlets with simultaneous tax audits. Chairperson of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) Selina Cheng shared the news in a press conference on Wednesday. The Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP), which is one of the organizations caught up in the inspection, reported on the wide range of targets, including family members of jou…
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