4 ms·

"Non-government tax" is bullshit semantics. Any random organization cannot collect a tax unless a government has delegated special authority to that organizati

"Non-government tax" is bullshit semantics. Any random organization cannot collect a tax unless a government has delegated special authority to that organization, thereby making that organization part of government. It's like saying "independent courts" aren't part of "the government" because the courts are "independent" and because elected politicians don't have the official authority to tell judges how cases should be decided. Semantics. The courts are a branch of government.

quink 4y ago
No it isn't. It means that the government doesn't control the funding (or lack of funding) for a public broadcaster. That's an important part of their independence. Also, it's not really a tax, it's a levy or fee.
- skipkey 4y ago
  What happens if someone doesn’t pay the fee?
  - everybodyknows 4y ago
    > Some people went to jail because they refused to pay. https://allaboutberlin.com/guides/gez-rundfunkbeitrag https://allaboutberlin.com/guides/gez-rundfunkbeitrag
- Mountain_Skies 4y ago
  No, that absolutely is a tax.
  - germanier 4y ago
    That's basically a language/cultural issue - in some places the semantics of the word "tax" are more narrowly defined than in others leading to discussions like these.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
germanier 4y ago
That's like saying anyone who owns property is a "part of the government" because "the government" has granted them special authority to enforce their property rights. In Germany, the right of those broadcasters to collect that fee is derived directly from the constitution, just like the right to own property is.
- LarryMullins 4y ago
  In a system where private property ownership is only specially delegated to a handful of people or organizations, those few privileged people or orgs ARE part of the government. In a system where everybody has that right by default, that's different. An ostensibly independent organization that has been granted a special right to collect a tax is an example of the former, not the latter.

quink 4y ago

No it isn't. It means that the government doesn't control the funding (or lack of funding) for a public broadcaster. That's an important part of their independence. Also, it's not really a tax, it's a levy or fee.

skipkey 4y ago
What happens if someone doesn’t pay the fee?
- everybodyknows 4y ago
  > Some people went to jail because they refused to pay. https://allaboutberlin.com/guides/gez-rundfunkbeitrag https://allaboutberlin.com/guides/gez-rundfunkbeitrag
Mountain_Skies 4y ago
No, that absolutely is a tax.
- germanier 4y ago
  That's basically a language/cultural issue - in some places the semantics of the word "tax" are more narrowly defined than in others leading to discussions like these.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

germanier 4y ago

That's like saying anyone who owns property is a "part of the government" because "the government" has granted them special authority to enforce their property rights. In Germany, the right of those broadcasters to collect that fee is derived directly from the constitution, just like the right to own property is.

LarryMullins 4y ago
In a system where private property ownership is only specially delegated to a handful of people or organizations, those few privileged people or orgs ARE part of the government. In a system where everybody has that right by default, that's different. An ostensibly independent organization that has been granted a special right to collect a tax is an example of the former, not the latter.