Author: Illustration Lupa.cz using DALL-E
The coalition government wants to add an inflation clause to the law on radio and television fees. Thanks to it, fees would automatically increase when a certain rate of inflation is reached.
“In the coalition, we agreed on the indexation of fees – this means that public media will be systematically financed. And this will preserve their independence, which our democracy needs so much,” wrote Jan Jakob, chairman of the TOP 09 parliamentary club, on the X social network.
Do you agree that radio and television fees should automatically increase when a certain rate of inflation is reached?
The specific parameters of the agreement are not clear at this time. “I can confirm that we are not backing down from the proposal to increase concessionary fees,” Culture Minister Martin Baxa (ODS) told the ČTK agency. He wants to present the proposal in the coming weeks.
“It’s about long-term stability, so that in the future we don’t always have to return to the debate about how to possibly increase the concessionaire fee. That is why the mechanism should be anchored there,” Minister of Agriculture Marek Výborný (KDU-ČSL) noted for ČTK.
Last fall, the government published a draft of the so-called major media amendment. In it, she proposed a one-time increase in television and radio fees to CZK 160 and CZK 55 per month, respectively. The coalition also wants to expand the definition of a taxpayer to include, in addition to owners of classic receivers, also people who have the opportunity to receive TV and radio content on a computer or mobile phone.
The upcoming amendment worried the private media, and the ministry then invited them to work groups that discuss various parameters of the public service. The outputs are expected in the coming weeks, then the revised amendment should be discussed by the government.
