Doris Leuthard: "Noticeable relief for most households".
A fee of one franc per day for radio and television reception: «With the new system, we’re providing significant relief to most households,» Media Minister Doris Leuthard told reporters at the Federal Palace on Wednesday.
According to the Federal Council's decision, the levy will be CHF 365 per household from 2019 instead of the current CHF 451 (Werbewoche.ch reported). Most companies will also be relieved. Due to the turnover threshold, three quarters of all companies will not pay any radio and television fees in future.
The new system is not only cheaper, but also fairer, said Leuthard. The reason for this is that all households have to pay a fee and not just those that own a receiver.
The Federal Council has also made changes to the distribution of fee money. In future, SRG will receive CHF 1.2 billion per year. That is CHF 40 million less than last year. "We consider this to be justifiable," said Leuthard. This will allow a high-quality public service to continue to be provided in all national languages.
Private radio and television broadcasters, on the other hand, will receive more money. "This will enable us to make a contribution to diversity," the media minister is convinced. The regional and local broadcasters are a complement to the national broadcasters.
With a contribution to the SDA news agency, the Federal Council wants to ensure that local and regional media will continue to have access to SDA's services in the future. This is a service for the whole of Switzerland and for all media, said Leuthard. (SDA)
Photo: DETEC
