Federal Council sets new reception fee at 365 francs per year
365 francs per year: That is the radio and television license fee that all Swiss households will have to pay starting in 2019, regardless of whether they own a radio or television set. The Federal Council made this decision on Wednesday.
The newly regulated reception fee is based on the amended Radio and Television Act (RTVA), which was approved by the electorate in June 2015 by a historically narrow majority. Households without an operational radio or television set can apply to be exempted from the fee for five years.
Today, the reception fee is CHF 451 per year. However, only households that own reception equipment have to pay it.
Anyone living in a so-called collective household, for example in a student residence or retirement home, will no longer have to pay an individual reception fee. However, collective households will be charged CHF 730 per year. Anyone receiving supplementary benefits will not have to pay the fee.
According to the new rules, companies do not have to pay a reception fee if they generate less than CHF 500,000 in turnover. According to the Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC), this is the case for three quarters of all Swiss companies.
If the turnover is higher, this determines the amount of the fee: up to one million in turnover, CHF 365 per year is due, as for private households. If the turnover is between 1 and 5 million francs, the fee is 910 francs; at one billion, it is 35,590 francs.
SRG caps
The RTVA also brings changes for the SRG: from 2019, it will receive a share of fees capped at CHF 1.2 million, which will only be adjusted for inflation. Licensed private stations, on the other hand, will receive more money, namely CHF 81 million per year instead of the current CHF 67.5 million.
According to DETEC, this corresponds to 6% of the total revenue from reception fees. This is the highest proportion possible under the RTVA. CHF 2 million per year is also earmarked for the sda news agency.
If the reception fee brings in more money than is needed, the remaining amount ends up in a separate account. The surpluses are either used to compensate for weaker years or to reduce the fee tariff.
Incidentally, the CHF 365 per year that will apply from 2019 is not set in stone. From 2020, the Federal Council intends to review the level of the fee every two years together with the price watchdog with the aim of further reducing tariffs. (SDA)
