Apple causes controversy over 30% tax on tips for China’s digital content creators

Apple recently levied a 30 percent tax on tips paid to content creators via social media apps, creating a major controversy among China’s net users and tech community.

WeChat, which has about 889 million active monthly users in China, disabled its tipping function for iPhone users in April after it failed to reach an agreement on the issue with Apple. The U.S. technology company has reportedly negotiated with some Chinese app developers, demanding that they include Apple’s in-app tipping feature.

Some firms, such as the Beijing-based Zhihu, have decided to compromise. The company said in a statement that it will introduce Apple’s in-app tipping service in the latest version of its app. Other companies behind popular apps such as Yingke and YY have also changed the way customers tip in the latest versions of their apps.

The move has provoked a certain amount of outrage from Chinese net users, with many arguing that Apple’s request for a cut is unreasonable, as tipping is voluntary - not a formal exchange. The policy only affects income made by content creators via tips from iPhone users. Tips from Android users are not bound by the rule.