Serafe replaces Billag
Serafe will collect the new device-independent radio and television license fee. Following a public bidding process, the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy, and Communications (UVEK) awarded the contract to this company. Its bid stood out from those of the other bidders due to its superior value for money.
Serafe is a subsidiary of Secon based in Fehraltdorf ZH. This company was able to convince with its implementation concept and submitted the most economically advantageous offer, according to a statement by DETEC. According to the criteria published together with the specifications on August 16, 2016, the company achieved the highest overall score with its offer. Serafe's mandate period starts on July 1, 2017 and ends on December 31, 2025.
Secon has extensive experience in debt collection as well as modern IT systems and processes. It performs the collection for various health insurers. According to the requirements of the Radio and Television Act (RTVA), the collection agency is not allowed to carry out any economic activities other than the collection of the household tax. Therefore, Secon founded the subsidiary Serafe in September 2016. The sole task of this company is to collect the levy. The new levy system is expected to come into force on January 1, 2019. Until then, Billag will continue to collect the current reception fees.
Start of preparatory work for the future delivery system
On July 1, 2017, Serafe will start building the infrastructure and the necessary IT system. The data necessary for the collection of the household tax come from the population registers. They are supplied by the cantons and municipalities. By the end of 2018, Serafe has to make all the preparations in cooperation with the relevant authorities to ensure the launch of the new levy system on time and in good quality.
On June 14, 2015, the people approved the revision of the Radio and Television Act (RTVA). This replaces the current reception fee with a general, device-independent fee. As the financing is thus spread over more shoulders and is administratively simpler, the fee for radio and television can be reduced for households to well below CHF 400 per year. The Federal Council will set the amount of the levy in good time before the new system comes into force.
The new levy system is much simpler, as various tasks such as field service, checks and registration/deregistration are no longer required. In addition, the collection agency can rely on data from cantons and municipalities. The levy for companies will be collected by the Federal Tax Administration.
