Nothing comes free: Study finds only 34pc of Malaysian content creators file income tax, many don’t think to declare gifts

KUALA LUMPUR, June 22 — Almost 45 per cent of nearly 500 content creators surveyed were unaware that free products, gifts, hotel stays and vouchers received to produce content are classified as taxable income in Malaysia, according to a recent study.

This was despite 70 per cent of them receiving free products or gifts as their main form of compensation, according to the MYCreator Pulse Report 2026, commissioned by VoxEureka.

The report also said free products accounted for 46 per cent of a content creator’s overall income sources, higher than direct cash payments, which stood at 43 per cent.

Only 34 per cent of the content creators polled have filed income tax and intend to continue doing so.

Of the remaining 66 per cent, 14 per cent said they did not know that content creators must file income tax, while the majority said they were unsure if they qualified for income tax.

The study was conducted online by Vase.ai between May 11 and 21.

It polled 489 content creators across all five follower tiers: nano (1,000 to 3,000 followers), micro (3,000 to 50,000 followers), macro (50,000 to 250,000 followers), mega (250,000 to 500,000 followers) and alpha (500,000 followers and above).

“These gaps are most pronounced at the nano and micro tiers.

“Among creators with fewer than 3,000 followers, one in four were entirely unaware that in-kind income is taxable and only 18 per cent have filed.

“Among those with more than 100,000 followers, 91 per cent are fully aware and 83 per cent have filed,” the report said.

Overall, 68 per cent of respondents polled have not registered a formal business entity despite actively earning from content creation.

The report also found that 29 per cent lacked formal business practices and tracked their income only through spreadsheets, bank statements or memory.

With only a week left before the June 30 filing deadline, VoxEureka has published a free tax guide for content creators unsure of their tax obligations.

The guide is available at https://voxeureka.com/mycreatorpulse/