On February 15, the Chinese media outlet Global Times released a ranking of the Chinese celebrities who paid the highest taxes.

According to the report, Lay, a Chinese member of EXO, ranked at #88 with 19,100,000 Yuan (2.8 million USD) in taxes last year. The #1 spot went to top actress Fan Bing Bing, and former EXO member Luhan followed in at #2.

Global Times noted that celebrities in Korea and Japan have relatively lower income compared to the stars in China. The top 1% of celebrities in Korea reportedly make about 4.2 billion KRW (3.7 million USD) in yearly income. With promotions in China, the income multiplies 8 times.

A professor from Peking University stated, "Chinese celebrities earn as much as Hollywood stars. Considering their average income, they fall into the 'super rich' class."