SINGAPORE: Won't pay TV licence?
- From: "CKinSF <ck_in_sf1@xxxxxxxxxxx>" <CKinSF <ck_in_sf1@xxxxxxxxxxx>>
- Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 07:50:20 +0800
SINGAPORE: Won't pay TV licence?
Those who refuse to pay annual TV license fee will receive a court summons and
face possible arrest and fines of up to $40,000
The Straits Times
Monday, May 19, 2008
By Chua Hian Hou
The annual crackdown on people who have not paid their $110 TV licence is under
way.
Several thousand home owners who have not paid up so far will get a court
summons, and if they ignore this, they risk arrest and fines of up to $40,000.
There are no ifs or buts: All households with working TV sets must pay the
licence fee.
Some 925,000 licences were issued as at Dec 31 last year.
But the Media Development Authority (MDA) estimated that about 100,000
households, or one in 10, do not pay the annual licence fee. The ratio has
remained fairly constant over the years.
Some deliberately do not pay, while others complain about paying for content
they do not watch.
However, most offenders let the payment slip because they either missed the
notice or were financially strapped, said MDA customer and licensing services
manager Regina Chang.
She said the fee ensures that 'commercially less viable' TV and radio programmes
that 'inform, educate and entertain our multicultural and multiracial society'
get made.
These include cultural shows as well as current affairs, drama, local sports and
children's programmes, and are broadcast on the six free-to-air TV channels and
radio stations.
The MDA sends out notices to pay the TV licence together with the Inland Revenue
Authority's property tax assessment notice every December.
It sends a reminder to pay the original amount plus a $25 late payment fee to
households that have not paid by Jan 31.
After this, and a second late notice, the agency sends a summons via registered
mail to the 'very small percentage' that still do not pay up, said Ms Chang.
The summons has the desired effect, with 'almost 80 per cent' of the holdouts
quickly paying up the $110 -- plus a fine of up to $1,000 -- to avoid going to
court.
The few who ignore the summons can end up being arrested and going before a
judge, said Ms Chang, although the agency only does this as a last resort.
Those found guilty face a maximum fine of $40,000 under the Broadcasting Act.
The Government has temporarily frozen the TV licence fee until the end of this
year as part of a larger bundle of government fees that were left unchanged to
help minimise the impact of inflation.
Besides Singapore, Japan, Germany, Britain and Switzerland also impose a TV
licence fee.
Date Posted: 5/19/2008
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=92553
CKinSF.
aka running dog chow-kow-sick-fûçkk(cksf)
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