The media freedom campaign on the Bakom director's fee proposal
In a communiqué issued on Thursday, the Campaign for Media Freedom expressed little enthusiasm for the proposal by the Bakom director to introduce a general TV and radio tax.
The argument that technological progress also allows access to electronic media via cell phone and PC does not hold water. "Such an approach would be comparable to every Swiss person having to pay the highway toll sticker - regardless of whether they use the highways or not, simply because everyone is theoretically able to do so," writes Aktion Medienfreiheit.
A fee is compensation for the use of a service. It is incomprehensible why someone who does not use this service should still be asked to pay. The TV and radio fee for everyone is an additional tax that is to be introduced through the back door without having to hold a political discussion about it.
The general statement of the Bakom director on Billag was also surprising. He does not appear to be seriously willing to examine alternative fee collection models, although there is an urgent desire to do so both in Parliament and among the population. "It is also incomprehensible that OFCOM is rushing ahead at this point in time, as the National Council has requested a report from the Federal Council on the collection of fees and which devices should be subject to fees. This report should be available by the end of the year." With its statement, Bakom is pre-empting the political processes. The Campaign for Media Freedom considers this to be problematic.
A fee is compensation for the use of a service. It is incomprehensible why someone who does not use this service should still be asked to pay. The TV and radio fee for everyone is an additional tax that is to be introduced through the back door without having to hold a political discussion about it.
The general statement of the Bakom director on Billag was also surprising. He does not appear to be seriously willing to examine alternative fee collection models, although there is an urgent desire to do so both in Parliament and among the population. "It is also incomprehensible that OFCOM is rushing ahead at this point in time, as the National Council has requested a report from the Federal Council on the collection of fees and which devices should be subject to fees. This report should be available by the end of the year." With its statement, Bakom is pre-empting the political processes. The Campaign for Media Freedom considers this to be problematic.
