Television licence |
A television licence is an official licence required in some countries for all owners of a television receiver. Television licensing is common in Europe, as well as some countries in Africa and Southeast Asia, but not used in the Americas, with the exception of the France Département d outre-mer. It is not used to restrict people from owning a television, but as an annual tax to fund public broadcasting broadcasts.
=Europe=
==Austria==
In Austria, the television & radio licence varies in price depending on which States of Austria one lives in. All are in euros and are paid annually.
==Denmark==
The licence fee in Denmark is DKK 2 040 per annum for colour TV, DKK 1 310 for black and white TV and DKK 320 for radio.
==Finland==
The licence fee in Finland is Euro|193.95 per annum for TV.
==France==
In 2004, the television licence fee in France (mainland & Corsica) is Euro (where viewers receive the French Overseas Network (RFO) rather than France 2-France 3-France 5-Arte) it is 74.31. Source: Service-public.fr
==Germany==
The licence fee in Germany is Euro66.24 for just radio. It is billed by month, but typically paid quarterly (yearly payments are possible). Unemployed and disabled people do not need to pay the licence fee.
==Ireland==
In 2005, the television licence in Republic of Ireland is Euro, the state broadcaster; however, its radio and TV stations also broadcast advertising to supplement this income.
==Italy==
In 2005, the licence fee in Italy is Euro, though it also broadcasts advertising.
==Norway==
The licence fee in Norway is NOK 1 969 per annum (2005). The fee is mandatory for any owner of a TV set, and is the primary source of income for Norsk Rikskringkasting (NRK).
==Sweden==
The licence fee in Sweden is SEK 1 920 per annum. It is collected on behalf of the public broadcasters by Radiotjänst.
==Switzerland==
The licence fee in Switzerland is Swiss Franc 450.35 per annum for TV and radio.
==United Kingdom==
In the United Kingdom, these fees are set by Parliament of the United Kingdom and go directly to the funding of the BBC, enabling it to run without the need for market competition. The licence fee, initially for radio sets (exempt since 1971), was mandated by the 1904 Wireless Telegraphy Act. The fee was originally 10 shillings (Pound sterling0.50) and in 2005 was £126.50 for colour TV and £42 for monochrome TV. There are concessions for the elderly (free for over 75s) and blindness people (50% off). Only one licence is required per household.
It is believed that approximately 5% of TVs are unlicensed. With the BBC s increased worldwide output (including its online services) there has been a debate as to the abolition of the TV licence, which has been denounced as unfair by competing television companies.
According to the definition of TV receiving apparatus [1], a licence must be obtained for any device which is installed or used for receiving broadcasts, which potentially covers devices such as a tuner card in a PC or a portable television. However a television installed and used for some other purpose, such as a closed-circuit monitor, video player or a games console, is exempt provided the owner can demonstrate it is not used for receiving broadcasts.
Enforcement in the UK is provided by Capita Group and the AMV consortium. They maintain a Database of all addresses in the country, with electronics retailers being subject to large fines if they do not pass on the addresses of anyone buying television receiving equipment. Addresses with no licence are assumed to have a television, and are subject to repeated mailshots and visits by the enforcement agency.
In addition to the database, electronic detectors are used to pick up the small amount of energy re-radiated by the local oscillator in the tuning circuitry. It s open to doubt how well the much advertised detectors would work on a TV tuner card within the electrically noisy Faraday cage enclosure of a Personal computer: the simpler method of calling round and looking for the aerial or an operating television would seem more effective.
Some feel that the scheme is as a regressive tax, in that the very poorest are those least likely to have a licence, and least able to pay the fine for not having a licence. A report ( TV sinners , March 1998) by the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureau pointed out that failure to pay the fine is the single largest reason for the imprisonment of single mothers. However, supporters of the licence fee claim that it helps maintain a higher quality of programming on the BBC compared to its commercial rivals. Some also claim that it also leads to better programmes on the commercial channels as they seek to draw viewers/listeners away from the BBC s output.
===Cash Easy Entry & Monthly Cash Plan===
Since the mid 1990s there is a scheme available which was designed specifically for single parents and those claiming an Income Related State Benefits, called Cash Easy Entry. The applicant or potential licensee will contact TV Licensing and register their details. They then receive a plastic swipe card to take to the Post Office or PayPoint and complete weekly instalments for the TV Licence.
There is also a Monthly Cash Plan card based scheme available for those people who:
The Monthly Cash Plan works on the same basis as the Cash Easy Entry scheme and has been designed so as not to discriminate against those that don t receive benefits. Further details can be found on [http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk]
===Notes===
The Wireless Telegraphy (Television Licence Fees) Regulations 1991 gives the following definition:
=North America=
The reasons why the idea of a licence fee never caught on in Canada or the United States bear some differences.
==Canada==
The Canadian public broadcaster, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation lagged slightly behind the private American broadcasters in providing radio and then television service to Canadians. Thus unlike the BBC, the CBC has always had to compete with other English language stations for its viewing audience - or more accurately, for most of its viewing audience. Many, but not all Canadians have access to radio and television signals from stations in the northern U.S. Thus, a licence fee to own a television would almost certainly have been viewed as patently unfair by those Canadians who could only watch one and later two channels, while others would pay presumably the same fee and get four and later five. Moreover, by the late 1950s through to early 1960s, close to every Canadian household would acquire a television set, thus giving the argument that a licence fee is fair to those who do not own a television limited weight. As a result, the Canadian government chose to fund the CBC from its general revenues, although CBC Television also sells advertising to cover some of its expenses.
==United States==
In the U.S., privately-owned radio (and later television) stations selling advertising quickly proved to be commercially viable enterprises during the first half of the twentieth century, which presumably proved to the American government that it did not need any sort of scheme such as a licence fee to force the end user to pay for the services he or she was listening to or watching. The United States did eventually create the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in 1967, which would eventually be used to help fund the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio. However, this endeavour is funded through general revenues, and PBS, NPR and their affiliated stations also receive substantial funding in the form of donations from private citizens.
=Asia=
==Japan==
In Japan, there is a licence fee of Yen1 395 per month or ¥15 490 per annum (¥1 349 per month or ¥14 910 per annum if pay by direct debit) if you received terrestrial broadcasts or ¥2 340 per month or ¥26 100 per annum (¥2 290 per month or ¥25 520 per annum if pay by direct debit) if you receive satellite broadcasts. It pays for the national broadcaster NHK.
While every household in Japan with a television set is required to have a licence, there is no penalty for non-payment, and people are legally entitled to stop licensing inspectors from entering your house.
====Note==== *There is a separate television licence for those with black-and-white TVs. *There are special contracts for those in areas where geographical features prevent terrestrial reception, or for commercial uses where only satellite reception is possible, such as on moving trains. *Fees are different in Okinawa.
==Singapore==
The cost of the TV licence for a household in Singapore is Singapore dollar110. Additional licences are required for radios which is Singapore dollar27 and TVs in vehicles Singapore dollar110.
==Other Asian Countries==
Public Broadcasters are funded either by the government through general revenues, e.g. the Public Television Service Taiwan or by selling advertising, e.g. the China Central Television.
=Africa=
==South Africa==
The licence fee in South Africa is Rand (currency)225 per annum for TV. The concessionary rate is Rand (currency)65. It is available for:
=Oceania=
==Australia==
Radio licence fees were introduced in Australia in the 1920s to fund the first privately-owned broadcasters which were not permitted to sell advertising. With the formation of the government-owned Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1932 the licence fees were used to fund ABC broadcasts while the privately-owned stations were permitted to seek revenue from advertising and sponsorship. Television licence fees were also introduced in 1956 when the ABC began TV transmissions. All licence fees were abolished in 1974 by the Australian Labor Party government led by Gough Whitlam on the basis that it was an unfair and regressive tax. The ABC has since then been funded totally by government grants, now totalling around Australian dollar800 million a year.
==New Zealand==
Licence fees were first used in New Zealand to fund the radio services of what was to become the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation. Television was introduced in 1960, and with it the television licence fee. The licence fee was capped at NZ$100 a year in the 1970s, and the country s two television channels, while still publicly owned, were increasingly reliant on advertising. Later known as the public broadcasting fee, the licence fee was finally abolished in New Zealand in 1999.
=Sources and external links=
*[http://www.obs.coe.int/db/gavis/redevance_tv.html.en A list of TV licence providers by the European Audiovisual Observatory]
*[http://members.orf.at/ ORF-GIS (Austria)] *[http://www.dr.dk/omdr/index.aspaid=35 Info in English from DR about the TV licence (Denmark)] *[http://www.tv-maksu.fi TV-maksuhallinto (Finland)] *[http://www.rte.ie/about/organisation/tvlicence.html RT� info about TV licence (Republic of Ireland)] *[http://www.gez.de GEZ (Germany)] *[http://www.radiotjanst.se/ Radiotjänst (Sweden)] *[http://www.billag.ch Billag (Switzerland)] *[http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/ TV Licensing (United Kingdom)] *[http://www.tvlicensing.biz/ Opposition to TV Licensing (United Kingdom)] *[http://www.bbcresistance.com/ BBC Resistance: Website opposed to TV Licensing (United Kingdom)] *[http://www.nhk.or.jp/pr/english/fee/fee.html Information on the licencing system from NHK (Japan)] *[http://www.mda.gov.sg/wms.www/devnpolicies.aspxsid=185 Media Development Authority (Singapore)] *[http://www.tvlic.co.za TV Licences (South Africa)] *http://www.jifvik.org/tv|
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