BEIJING - China confiscated 133 million fake and other illegal invoices during Jan-Aug, the State Administration of Taxation has said.

The taxation authority said it cracked 41,769 cases involving illegal invoices and punished 35,197 companies that used illegal invoices during the period.

The crackdown helped retrieve at least 2.6 billion yuan ($409 million) in taxes. The taxation authorities also imposed more than 860 million yuan in fines for the violations.