The Income Tax Department on Thursday, June 22, conducted surprise searches in the houses and offices of at least nine YouTubers in various parts of Kerala, including popular actor and content creator Pearle Maaney. The Income Tax Enforcement Wing in Ernakulam coordinated the searches, which reportedly took place in the districts of Thrissur, Ernakulam, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, and Kasaragod.
As per the Goods and Services Tax (GST) provisions, service providers including YouTubers and bloggers with an annual turnover of more than Rs 20 lakh have to compulsorily get registered under the GST Act. Based on their income, YouTubers who fall into this category are to be charged a GST of 18% — comprising 9% Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) and 9% State Goods and Services Tax (SGST).
The annual income of the YouTubers who are currently under the Income Tax radar is estimated to be around Rs 1-2 crore, in addition to the amount they earn through paid promotional content and other undisclosed investments. The IT department has reportedly recorded the YouTubers’ statements and examined their bank statements and other financial documents. Some YouTubers are learned to have pointed out to the officials that they do not receive a fixed monthly payment, and that the amounts they earn from different social media platforms vary based on viewer engagement.
A popular actor and anchor, Pearle Maaney has hosted several prominent reality shows and other television programmes in Malayalam, besides emerging as a runner-up in the first season of Bigg Boss Malayalam on Asianet. She has also appeared in notable roles in Malayalam films such as Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi (2013), Double Barrel (2015), Pretham (2016), and the Hindi film Ludo in 2020. Her personal YouTube channel, which features snippets from her personal life and other curated content, currently has up to 2.6 million subscribers.