St3pny: the famous youtuber risks imprisonment for VAT evasion

Stefano Lepri, in art St3pny, is one youtuber Florentine of 27 years much acclaimed and affirmed among the young audience. Expert gamer and author of gameplay videos, thanks to the important number of over four million subscribers managed to enter into contracts with several advertising companies. Unfortunately, this very thorny subject has put internet stardom in a big mess, seen failure to pay VAT of seventy-five thousand euros in 2017.

St3pny has indeed gained the beauty of three hundred and fifty thousand euros in that year and, according to the findings of the financial police and the deputy prosecutor Christine Von Borries, the value added tax was evaded. For this reason, the prosecutor, in the last days of last January, decided on a sentence of ben one year and four months of imprisonment for the boy. The defense of Lepri asked the assumption, seen the lack of knowledge the qualification of his profession. St3pny, in fact, stipulates contracts with advertising agencies for the publication of banners and spots within his videos, using the transfer of copyright which apparently does not provide for the payment of VAT. The aforementioned Von Borries, on the other hand, considers this activity as a real one self-employment, and therefore the need for its own economic treatment. In the absence of real directives on the subject, the young man did not apply this important law thus causing the investigation on his current account from 2019. The next hearing for the case, given the still unofficial sentence, is scheduled for February 18 2021.

However the story evolves this is a important precedent, being the very first case of youtuber to be convicted for the following matter. Unfortunately, there is still no real regulation for this kind of activity, thus leaving many people disoriented for certain issues. But we know that the law is The same for everyone, therefore it is possible that the sentence will be applied despite the lack of awareness of the young accused.