The idea of abolishing the TV license fee has been talked about in Poland for over a dozen years. So far, however, no government has decided to take such a drastic step. This time, however, it will work. The Civic Platform, which is playing the cards in the new coalition, is reportedly determined to abolish the license fee, and the recent events related to the “recapture” of public media from the hands of Law and Justice are to be the final argument for changes.
On Tuesday, MP Maciej Wróbel, chairman of the newly established parliamentary subcommittee for media and audiovisual policy from the Civic Coalition, announced that a draft amendment to the media law should be prepared within six months. Its main goal will be to depoliticize the National Broadcasting Council, but also to eliminate the license fee. .
We are determined on this issue – the RTV subscription will no longer operate. But there are still ongoing discussions about what to replace it with
– noted Maciej Wróbel.
If not a subscription, then what? “Maybe a fee in the price of smartphones”
In the past, politicians and experts suggested that an alternative model of financing public media could be the so-called audiovisual fee, i.e. a mandatory contribution of PLN 8-9 per month, which we would not be able to avoid paying. One of the ideas was to add the fee to electricity bills. Another – the tax office collects the contribution together with the income tax. Prof. talked about such a proposal at the end of January. Tadeusz Kowalski, member of the National Broadcasting Council.
– Various options are being considered. One of them is the audiovisual contribution, i.e. a common fee that would be collected from all PIT, CIT or KRUS payers. It wouldn’t be a big fee, around PLN 8.34 per month, or approximately PLN 100 per year. It would give a chance to create a citizen television – said an expert in the WP studio.
I don’t know if this idea will be accepted
– said MP Maciej Wróbel in an interview with “DGP”. He added that “perhaps the fee will be included in the price of smartphones.” – When purchasing a new phone in a store, we would automatically pay a small amount for public utilities. Such an idea is on the table, he explained.
Interestingly, according to MP Wróbel, the introduction of such an additional fee would not increase the prices of smartphones. He pointed out that although in some EU countries the so-called reprographic fee, however, smartphone prices in Europe are at a similar level.
However, one could argue with this argument. Just look at how the most popular smartphone in the world, the iPhone, is valued in individual countries.
– I doubt that this will result in an increase in prices. But please remember that this is only one of the variants discussed. Perhaps it will be hidden, for example, in the electricity fee. There is no binding decision on this issue yet, added the chairman of the parliamentary subcommittee for media and audiovisual policy.
Source: Gazeta
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