The petition against the RTVG can begin
The Swiss Trade Association has until January 15, 2015, to collect the required 50,000 signatures for the referendum against the revised Radio and Television Act.
The referendum deadline for this and 23 other bills from the fall session of the Federal Assembly was published in the Federal Gazette on Tuesday. The revised Radio and Television Act introduces a system change: All households must pay reception fees—regardless of whether they own radio or TV sets. Companies with annual revenue of 500,000 francs or more will also be required to pay. As a result, the fee—currently 462 francs per household—is expected to decrease slightly. The change in the system is justified by the fact that radio and TV programs can now also be listened to and watched on computers, tablets, or smartphones. The Swiss Trade Association has already announced a referendum (Werbewoche.ch reported). He argues that small and medium-sized businesses have had enough of new taxes. (SDA)
