Hong Kong. Journalists denounce tax audit

A Hong Kong journalists association said at least five media outlets and several journalists had been subject to unwarranted audits, raising concerns about press freedom in the city.

Hong Kong’s press freedom rating has plummeted since Beijing cracked down on dissent following large — and sometimes violent — pro-democracy protests in 2019. Hong Kong tax authorities alleged that a group of online media outlets, journalists and some family members failed to fully declare their income from 2017 to 2019. As a result, they were issued backdated claims for payment, the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) said on Wednesday.

Selina Cheng, the group's president and a former journalist for the Wall Street Journal , said the association, herself and the parents were also affected. Among the media outlets targeted were the Hong Kong Free Press , Inmedia and The Witness , an online news portal dedicated to covering court cases, as well as two others. According to local media, Hong Kong's Inland Revenue Department (IRD) assured that it had followed legal procedures and that the actions were not targeting specific sectors. The IRD added that it did not comment on "individual cases".

More than 90% of journalists believe that Hong Kong's press freedom has been significantly harmed by the national security law, passed by the local parliament in March 2024, which punishes crimes such as espionage and foreign interference, according to the HKJA's annual survey, published in 2024. This is the second such law enacted for the neighboring region of Macau, following another one imposed directly by Beijing in 2020, following pro-democracy protests.

China's foreign ministry said Hong Kong's security laws "target a very small number of individuals who seriously endanger national security, not law-abiding journalists."