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Germany has had a "blanket" fee per household for ages [0] and of course, people are pro or contra, and of course it has changed over the years and went from st
by wink 2y ago
Germany has had a "blanket" fee per household for ages [0] and of course, people are pro or contra, and of course it has changed over the years and went from strictly tv/radio/car stereo to also include internet "transmissions".
The devil is in the details, as usual, and I've never gotten why they don't simply scrap this extra thing and take a (small) percentage of taxes. Either you argue the public national tv/radio is a common good that can be publicly funded, or you don't.
[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARD_ZDF_Deutschlandradio_Beitragsservice https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARD_ZDF_Deutschlandradio_Beitr...
- orf 2y ago> Either you argue the public national tv/radio is a common good that can be publicly funded, or you don't. You don’t want to couple it to the whims of the current government, if possible.
- wink 2y agoI don't think that matters here. The involved public stations have their board regularly appointed by the government, this is just the outsourced collection agency with weird rules that keep on changing. If it was included in the tax you'd not have to fight for an exemption as a student for example, or if they wrongfully want money if you live with someone who is paying.
- orf 2y agoI agree it’s weird, but it’s protecting against this scenario: BBC: “government bad” Government: “hey everyone here’s a tax reduction! 50% less TV tax! (Oh and 50% less money for you, BBC)” Realistically the board has influence, but money is the ultimate control and the ultimate test of independence.