The revolution in public media began with the replacement of staff, now the new authorities are working on how to finance them. Andrzej Duda vetoed the budget-related bill, and the National Broadcasting Council, which does not recognize the new authorities, plans to return the money from the radio and television license fee to a court deposit. These are major obstacles for public media. In previous years, it received almost PLN 3 billion from both sources mentioned above. Advertising money won’t make up for this amount. Those in power face a huge challenge.
The end of the TV license fee is near. Two ideas for financing public media have emerged
The chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Culture and Media, Bogdan Zdrojewski Wirtualne Media, assures that work on the reform to solve the problems is ongoing. “The alternative, i.e. two ways of financing the media, is still being analyzed and it is being counted,” says Zdrojewski.
The first option for public media is financing from the state budget. “This is a minimum percentage of GDP. So that public media have certain guaranteed funds, not annually, but in the long term. This will be a statutory proposal,” he adds.
There is also a second concept, which involves an audiovisual fee. “It is calculated at the level of approximately PLN 9 per month from PIT and CIT in the form of a certain automatic system. With this concept, all existing reliefs would apply.” This means that the fee would not apply to e.g. veterans or the blind and would be assigned to the taxpayer, not the devices.
“Audiovisual fees also exist in other European countries. They are understood in such a way that if, for example, the BBC produces content and makes it available, you pay for the opportunity to use it, regardless of whether it is a classic TV set, radio receiver, car receiver or smartphone,” Zdrojewski tells Wirtualne Media.
Fewer advertisements and TVP programs
There is also a procedure that will exempt some taxpayers from fees. “The project assumes that there may be a person who does not use any content uploaded via various channels to devices transmitting music or images. Such a person will be able to submit a declaration, but this means that he or she is immediately subject to possible control. In the current “Under civilizational conditions, it is difficult to imagine people who do not use it at all, but it cannot be ruled out 100 percent,” we read in the politician’s statement.
Zdrojewski assures that the new act should be ready by the end of September, and the solutions included in it will enter into force on January 1, 2025. Unless the president vetoes them. For viewers, in the case of both options proposed by the government, the changes mean no subscription fee and fewer advertisements on TVP. Most likely, the number of TVP channels will also decrease soon. Zdrojewski emphasizes that in this matter it will be necessary to limit expenses.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
