Biznes Fakty
TV Subscription to be Eliminated? „An Archaic Tax”
The proposed media legislation has been forwarded to the Prime Minister’s Chancellery, but is still under discussion among various ministries, as stated by Deputy Minister of Culture Maciej Wróbel. He acknowledged that negotiations concerning the funding sources for public media, particularly regarding the topic of TV license fees, are still in progress.
– The media legislation has been presented to the government and is currently being incorporated into the government’s agenda, though it has not yet been reviewed by all ministries – Wróbel admitted on Monday during an interview with Radio Olsztyn.
RTV subscription – will it be eliminated?
He further mentioned that talks regarding the financing of public media are still taking place. It had been previously indicated that the radio and television license fee would be repealed.
„There are differing opinions among the ministries on this matter. We consider the license fee to be an outdated tax, as one can watch television and listen to radio on a smartphone, which isn’t deemed a radio or television receiver under the License Fees Act, thus one isn’t required to pay a license fee,” the deputy minister remarked.
– Moreover, a television today is not merely a television; it also serves as a screen used for displaying presentations during various conferences – Wróbel contended, adding that the new legislation aims to align with the European Media Freedom Act.
Updates on the media legislation
As per the announcement, the new media legislation proposes, among other things, the dissolution of the National Media Council and a decrease in the number of public television channels, although it does not specifically mention the elimination of TVP Info.
The governing bodies of public media entities such as Polish Radio, Polish Television, and the Polish Press Agency are to be chosen through competitions that will be broadcast live.
