Dissident China artist raises $1.4M for tax bill

BEIJING - Dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei said Monday that supporters have sent him nearly $1.4 million to help him fight a huge tax bill that he says is government harassment.

The Beijing tax bureau is demanding that Ai's design company Beijing Fake Cultural Development Ltd. pay 15 million yuan ($2.4 million) in back taxes and fines.

Ai, an internationally acclaimed conceptual artist, was detained for nearly three months earlier this year during an overall crackdown on dissent. The detention and subsequent claims of tax evasion have been interpreted by activists as a way to punish him for his outspoken criticism of the authoritarian government.

Ai received 8.69 million yuan ($1.4 million) from supporters as of Sunday night, the artist said by phone. This is enough for him to put down a guarantee of more than 8 million yuan by Tuesday required by the tax authority to obtain an administrative review of the case.

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Ai's supporters have sent money through wire transfers or thrown cash stuffed in envelopes or wrapped around fruit into his yard. The donation campaign is rare for Chinese dissidents because of the threat of retaliation that comes with supporting high-profile government critics.

Du Yanlin, the company's tax attorney, said authorities have not proven that Ai is the owner of the company or that he had evaded taxes. Ai's wife, Lu Qing, is the legal representative of the design company.

Ai has said that he will not treat the money from supporters as donations, but as loans that he would repay.