The Minister of Economy and Finance, Giancarlo Giorgetti, proposed a radical change in the way we pay the Rai license fee. No longer linked to the supply of electricity, but to line telephone mobile devices. The reason? Rai content today is no longer viewed only on the television, but increasingly on smartphones and tablets. But let's go and see the proposal because, for now, that's all it is about.
Necessary change or new fee to collect the fee
The Rai license fee, one of the most unpopular "taxes" for Italians, could become even more odious. The novelty was illustrated by Minister Giorgetti, who spoke of renewal of the Rai service contract and above all of the public service fee and its collection method.
Among the commitments of the PNRR there is the elimination of the collection of improper charges by energy companies, a category within which the Rai fee fits. Since 2016, in fact, it has been collected through the electricity bill for domestic users.
Read also: Farewell to the Rai license fee: the proposal for an accessible public TV
Minister Giorgetti has outlined a path that many may not like. “From a short-term perspective", he has declared, "the possibility of separating the portion of the investments supported by Rai from the portion of the license fee could be evaluated". It would be about 300 million euros a year, which would be deducted from the rent and brought back to general taxation.
The structural reduction of the fee could take place with a enlargement of the audience. Today there are several ways beyond TV to access Rai content, starting with the RaiPlay platform. “The new methods of transmission and development of multimedia platforms such as RaiPlay now allow access to the contents of the Rai catalog using different devices, smartphones, tablets, etc.” Giorgetti recalled.
The Rai fee on the smartphone bill would also be an excellent idea
If the tax prerequisite were identified in the possession of a mobile telephone user, the expansion of the group of subjects would entail reduce the per capita cost of the rent. Suffice it to say that the license fee today is paid by around 21 million subjects while there are around 107 million active telephone users. Making an account of the servant, the cost would be reduced by almost 5 times.
Giorgetti admits, however, that there are objectively some technical complications to be resolved in order to apply this new collection method, but reiterates that it makes no sense to mention multimedia platforms and new forms of use in the service contract and then not expand the tax base to include these same new tools.
Through | D Day
