The ÖVP and the Greens are caught in the crossfire in Austria.
This time it's about the ORF - about additional costs for many citizens.
And supposedly about media diversity.
Munich/Vienna - What was the GEZ in Germany is (still) the "GIS" in Austria: the means of financing public service broadcasting around the ORF.
And a constant bone of contention.
The often deeply divided Viennese government of the ÖVP and the Greens must now adapt the regulation - and has stung a hornet's nest, even two.
Because from 2024, not only households with radio and television sets should pay.
But all.
The amount of the tax should also decrease.
The plans are still making waves in the Alpine republic.
On Wednesday (May 3), many newspapers appeared with a blank front page in protest at the details.
And on Saturday (May 6), the
standard
calculated: For around 200,000 previous “GIS” payers, the financial burden of the government plans would even double.
Austria argues about the ORF: Money should now come from "household tax".
The background to the debate: according to the plans of the government in Vienna, the ORF should in future be financed by a monthly household fee.
An amount of 15.30 euros is planned, said Media Minister Susanne Raab (ÖVP) at the end of April at the presentation of the ORF digital amendment.
Previously, a "GIS" fee of EUR 22.45 per month was charged, which had to be paid by every household that had a radio or TV set that could receive the signal.
However, those who only received ORF programs via the Internet have not had to pay anything so far - but should now also be asked to pay.
According to the Chancellery, this could affect 525,000 households and 100,000 companies.
The Constitutional Court (VfGH) had cashed in on the previous practice as unconstitutional.
The financing of the ORF must therefore be reorganized by the end of 2023.
According to Raab, there should be clarity about the settlement by autumn.
ORF tax causes Zoff: additional costs for hundreds of thousands in Austria are probably possible
The most important thing for the people in the country is probably the amount of the fees.
According to research by the
standard
, the usual 22.45 euros per month do not apply to all Austrians who are subject to contributions.
Around 206,000 households paid a lower "radio fee", the paper wrote on Saturday.
Depending on where you live, this is only between 6.31 and 7.91 euros.
Those affected would now also have to pay 15.30 euros, with state taxes up to around 20 euros being possible.
According to this calculation, a good 700,000 households could receive additional costs.
+
Karl Nehammer's government wants to reform the financing of ORF - and is receiving criticism from all sides.
© Montage: Imago/Sepa.Media/Steinach/fn
But the situation is complex.
According to the standard
, low-income people could
remain exempt.
So far, this applies to 300,000 households.
And according to ORF data, around three million households will actually be traveling more cheaply in the future.
Also because there are no taxes and VAT.
Overall, the ORF should then receive 710 million euros annually - but at the same time also receive advertising restrictions online and on the radio.
In 2023, ORF revenues should still amount to 1.03 billion euros.
According to official information, however, only around 676 million euros come from the GIS fee.
Kulturkampf about the ORF: Newspapers see “media diversity existentially threatened”
But that's not all.
There should
also be changes for the online offer
orf.at.
In future, the ORF will also be able to offer pure online content and exclusive digital content.
A proportion of 30 percent text contributions and 70 percent moving images is planned, with the text contributions per week being limited to 350 - which in turn the ORF editorial board considers "problematic".
Around 900 reports are currently being produced.
In the future, the content of “TVthek” can be called up for longer than seven days.
"We want the ORF to reach more young people in the future and be able to provide a more attractive online service," said Raab.
On the other hand, newspapers and online offers are up in arms.
In an open letter , an extraordinarily large alliance of
Standard
,
Krone
,
Today
,
Kurier
,
Salzburger Nachrichten
and many others worried about "development opportunities" - and warned of a "monopoly on opinion".
The ORF law "is an existential threat to Austrian media diversity," it said.
In some places, the fact that the ORF is now allowed to produce for social media also caused frowns: Corinna Milborn, head of the private broadcaster Puls24, reprimanded content for companies from China and the USA such as Google, Facebook or Tiktok with license
fees
.
At the same time, the right-wing populists were hard at work - as in the German debates about broadcasting fees.
FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl demanded on May 1 that the ORF should be financed from federal funds and significantly reduced.
The same had even been agreed with the ÖVP in 2019.
Public-law ongoing dispute: In Germany, too, there is always Zoff
Minister Raab has also announced tough austerity measures for the ORF.
325 million euros are to be saved, including through restrictions on privileges such as special pensions.
In addition, following the example of the BBC, the salaries of ORF employees and sideline activities are to be disclosed.
ORF doesn't like the cuts at all.
There was further criticism from ORF series because the government does not want to limit political influence on the committees.
As the country's largest media provider, the ORF produces four television, three nationwide and nine regional radio programs.
He is also the largest cooperative member of the Austria Press Agency (APA).
According to ORF data, up to 6.5 million people use the ORF offers every day, that is 85 percent of the population.
The ORF is also very popular in the Bavarian border region.
For a long time, ORF1 was also the source for free Champions League broadcasts for many Upper Bavarians - or for a detailed children's program in the afternoon.
Reception is now limited.
In Germany there has been a “radio fee” for households since 2013.
The innovation meant the end of the (falsely) so-called GEZ fee.
The circular contribution is also no longer linked to the possession of devices.
However, the dispute over the financing of ARD, ZDF and Co. did not end there.
The amount of the contribution always causes political scandals.
The FDP was also skeptical at its party conference and demanded cuts - with one MEP surprisingly calling for a talk show quota.
(
fn/rtr
)
List of rubrics: © Montage: Imago/Sepa.Media/Steinach/fn