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Will the broadcasting fee decrease? Fee boss calls on broadcaster not to squander revenue increase

2023-05-21T14:50:16.639Z

Highlights: There have recently been reports of a possible increase in the broadcasting fee. This is because the public broadcasters have earned more money from the licence fee than meets their needs. This increase in income may only be spent with the approval of the KEF fee commission. In April 2015, for the first time in the history of broadcasting financing, the contribution fell - from 17.89 euros by 48 cents to 17.50 euros. In August 2021, the fee was then increased to the current level of 18.36 euros per month.



Due to inflation and planned investments, there have recently been reports of a possible increase in the broadcasting fee. Could it sink instead?

Kassel – The broadcasting fee (formerly GEZ) must be paid for every apartment in Germany. Only in exceptional cases can one be exempted from paying the broadcasting fee. Recently, questions have been raised about a possible increase in the fee. Because the ARD apparently wants to invest millions in the digital transformation. According to an internal working paper, this should also be paid for by the broadcasting fees, media insider reported. But now there could be a U-turn.

This is because the public broadcasters have earned more money from the licence fee than meets their needs. This increase in income may only be spent with the approval of the KEF fee commission. "To date, no institution has received a permit for this, and the RBB has also excluded the additional income that had been planned in the budget without our approval," says Commission President Martin Detzel in an interview with the FAZ.

Will the broadcasting fee increase due to inflation or could it even fall from 2025?

This is because the surplus must be saved for the next contribution period and could then ensure that the broadcasting fee decreases. The amount of the contribution depends on the requirement calculated by the KEF fee commission – which currently calculates the requirement for the contribution period from 2025 onwards. In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in May 2022, Detzel said it would be "no surprise" if the broadcasting fee were to rise in nominal terms, given inflation. However, according to the head of the Commission, the special reserves now even make a lower broadcasting fee conceivable.

Contribution period fromAmount of the round fun contribution
January 201317,98 Euro
April 201517,50 Euro
August 202118,36 Euro

However, this also depends on the amount of the special reserve – and the fees commission will not know exactly how high this is until the end of 2024. However, according to a current estimate by the KEF, the surplus "could have a dampening effect on the contribution in the order of about 50 cents," Detzel said in an interview. However, Detzel does not want to make a forecast of the amount of the future broadcasting fee: "That would be dubious." But: "We will present a result that takes into account all interactions, regardless of political wishful thinking," the Commission chief continues.

The public broadcasters in Germany are financed by the broadcasting fee. © Marius Becker/dpa

Decreasing contribution: additional revenue due to conversion from GEZ to broadcasting fee

Should the broadcasting fee actually fall from 2025, it would not be the first time that the fee has not been increased, but reduced. In April 2015, for the first time in the history of broadcasting financing, the contribution fell - from 17.89 euros by 48 cents to 17.50 euros, informs the NDR.

The reason for this was the changeover from the device-related broadcasting fee (GEZ) to the device-independent broadcasting fee. As part of the changeover, surpluses were collected in 2013 and 2014, which subsequently led to a lower contribution. In August 2021, the broadcasting fee was then increased to the current level of 18.36 euros per month. There was a change in the payment of the broadcasting fee in 2022. (sne)

Source: merkur

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