‘Income tax department served notice; officials questioned for half an hour’

Firoz Chuttipara is a vlogger who had gained attention for his unique cooking videos. He regularly shares videos on social media featuring unusual dishes, including grilled snakes and grilled ostriches. Recently, Firoz also ventured into small businesses along with his YouTube videos. He is now opening up about the income he earned from YouTube. His revelations were during a podcast hosted by YouTuber Sujith Bhakthan.

‘I started getting money from YouTube. After a certain point, it became too much. I later went to the bank and informed them that I need to pay income tax. I didn’t want them to come looking for me later. The bank authorities arranged an auditor for me. I went to the bank to ensure that everything was fine from my side. It was only after I had paid income tax twice that income tax raids began targeting YouTubers here. I was in Delhi at that time.

My friends called me asking, isn’t there a raid at your house. I told them that I was paying taxes. Later, I too received a letter from the income tax department. I was summoned and questioned about my sources of income. My auditor was also with me. I told them that I earn money from YouTube and Facebook and clarified that I was paying taxes.
They questioned me for nearly half an hour. Once they understood that I was being honest, they allowed me to go.

My first income from YouTube was around Rs 8,000. It started with a sliding video featuring a voice-over. A couple of videos had low views. I then began uploading videos consistently. I got Rs 8,000 in the first month and Rs 40,000 in the second month. My earnings later touched around Rs 50,000,’ said Firoz Chuttipara.