Indian creators needn’t panic about new YouTube tax rules

 Indian creators needn’t panic about new YouTube tax rules

YouTube has announced additional tax requirements for creators outside of the US on their earnings from US viewers. Indian YouTubers need NOT panic. Let’s see what really happened here.

On March 9, the Google-owned video-sharing platform announced that every creator on its YouTube Partner Program (which lets users monetise their videos), regardless of their location in the world, is required to provide their “US tax info” to Google.

“Under US tax law, Google is required to deduct taxes (called withholding) from your YouTube earnings from US viewers, if applicable,” the statement elaborated.

The tax rates will be between 0%-30% on earnings creators generate from viewers in the US and the withholding of these earnings may begin as early as June.

The tax withholding requirements can differ depending on the creator’s country of residence, and on aspects like whether they are eligible to claim tax treaty benefi ..

However, not submitting tax info would lead to a blanket withholding of earnings at the highest tax rate, ranging between 24% to 30%.

So why shouldn't Indian creators worry?

Firstly, the majority of Indian creators have a local audience base. Only about 15% of YouTubers in India—chiefly those who create content in English—have a slight to a significant portion of their viewership in the US.