"New audiovisual fee for Poles – government plans to add it to PIT. What do you request to know?”

Soon Poles can be covered by a fresh universal audiovisual fee which will replace the existing RTV subscription. This project, the consequence of the work of an expert squad chaired by erstwhile TVP president Jan Dworek, aims to modernise the public media backing system. A fresh fee of PLN 8–9 per period (about PLN 100 per year) will be mandatory and will not be possible to deviate from, as it will be included in the PIT declaration. This solution aims to increase the efficiency of toll collection and to supply unchangeable sources of backing for public media.

New fee alternatively of RTV subscription

The existing RTV subscription strategy has been controversial for years. Despite the existing sanctions, many Poles avoided paying this fee, resulting in low collection and unstable financing of public media. The current fee is PLN 8.70 per period for the radio receiver and PLN 27.30 per period for the tv set or the television-radio set, which in case of the full yearly fee gives PLN 104.40 and PLN 327.60 respectively. However, many citizens avoided this obligation, which active the threat of pecuniary executions.

The fresh audiovisual fee is intended to change that. Its inclusion in the income taxation (PIT) is intended to prevent evasion of payments and to simplify the full process. Experts behind the task believe that specified a solution will not only supply better recovery, but besides make public media more independent than advertising, which is intended to improve the quality of programmes.

Who's the fresh fee?

However, the fresh fee will not cover all Poles. The task provides for a number of exemptions for people with low incomes, unemployed people, rencists, young people up to the age of 26 and seniors over 75. This is simply a reaction to erstwhile allegations against an RTV subscription that did not take into account the financial situation of citizens, charging all the same amount.

Debate on public media

The proposal to introduce a fresh fee is besides an effort to redefine the function of public media in Poland. The introduction of a compulsory fee aims to reduce media dependence on advertising revenues, which, according to the project's creators, will contribute to expanding their independency and focus on creating valuable content. Critics, however, fear that this can be perceived as a hidden taxation that will further incriminate citizens.

What's next?

The draft is presently in the public consultation phase and the final form of the bill is not yet known. The fresh fee gives emergence to quite a few emotions and will surely spark turbulent discussions in public space. Proponents of change stress the request for unchangeable backing of public media, while opponents fear that the introduction of a compulsory charge can be negatively taken by society.

One thing is certain: changes in the public media backing strategy are inevitable. But will the fresh solution prove effective and gain social acceptance? We will know the answer to that question soon.

Ignacy Michałowski

Expert in economics. OSINT investigator with experience in global journalism projects. It has been publishing materials for over 20 years for the largest releases.