Radio and television fees: Everyone should pay in future
In the future, all Swiss households will be required to pay radio and television license fees, even if they neither listen to nor watch the programs. Exceptions will be made for low-income individuals and small businesses. The National Council, acting as the second chamber, passed this resolution on Tuesday.
The Federal Council has been instructed to draw up a new system for collecting reception fees. In future, all households are to pay radio and television fees, regardless of whether they own radios or televisions. Exceptions are to be made for cases of financial hardship and for small businesses.
On Tuesday, the National Council voted 111 to 52 in favor of the exemption for small companies from the obligation to pay fees proposed by the Council of States. It thus followed the majority of the Committee for Transport and Telecommunications (KVF). The Federal Council declared itself in agreement with these exemptions.
The SVP - in the minority - criticized the planned system change and spoke of a new tax. Natalie Rickli (ZH) called for an "opting out" variant. She said it was not fair that all households had to pay, even if they deliberately chose not to watch radio and television. At CHF 462 per year, Swiss households pay the highest reception fees in Europe and have no say in what is on offer, said Rickli. She called for the petition of a non-partisan committee for a reception fee of no more than CHF 200 per year to be accepted and for fee payers to be taken seriously.
However, the majority of the National Council took a different view, rejecting the petition signed by more than 140,000 people online or on paper by 107 votes to 56. An SVP minority also opposed the idea that fees should also have to be paid in future if there is neither a radio nor a television set in the household. Christoph von Rotz (OW) said that reception fees should not be charged for cell phones and computers purchased for completely different purposes. The corresponding parliamentary initiative by Natalie Rickli was rejected by the Council by 104 votes to 51. However, eleven members of the Council abstained from voting.
Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard had opposed the parliamentary initiative: "The current system must be changed. Radio and TV can also be received on computers and cell phones," she clarified. The exact nature of the system change must now be determined. On the other hand, reception fees would fall significantly for almost 3 million households. Leuthard did not provide any figures when asked. The decisive factor would be which SMEs would now be exempt from the fees. The National Council and Council of States had already decided in principle that in future every household and every company should pay fees - regardless of whether they have a reception device. (SDA)
