any news regarding TV License fee ???

[Jukka Aho]

This is just BS, a big BS... almost in every family husband and wife both works, so does that mean they have to pay 150+150 separately via tax ?

The tax will be collected from adults with sufficient taxable income. If there are two adults in the family both will pay the tax separately according to their level of income:

1. The tax will not apply to those whose annual taxable income remains below 7,813 euros.
   
   
2. Those whose annual taxable income is in the range of 7,813 to 21,875 euros will be required to pay 0.64 per cent from the amount they have earned which translates into a progressive tax ranging from 50 to 140 euros.
   
   
3. Those whose annual taxable income exceeds 21,875 euros have hit the ceiling and will pay 140 euros flat.

[Upphew]

I'd suggest them to increase their employee by 100 in the business development and marketing section, so, they could bring more adverts for yle, instead of increasing the amount of fees to viewers.

They can't advertise, but that wouldn't stop them keeping those 100 still employed...

http://www.finlex.fi/en/laki/kaannokset/1993/en19931380 12 §

[Cory]

This is just BS, a big BS...

We live in a socialist country and accordingly, no one is left behind.

I wouldn't mind paying a monthly TV subscription fee. If a family can afford it, then they watch TV. If they can't afford it, they don't.
I don't believe staring at the squack box is a right. It's a service that all should pay for just like a newspaper or magazine subscription. If a family can afford to subscribe to daily delivery, they they get daily delivery.

This whole thing is bollocks. I don't watch TV. I don't have time. My kids don't watch TV. I keep up with the news on the internet, access we also pay for. My husband, the Finn, is a TV addict. It's disgusting.

Whilst still in Canada, I didn't subscribe to cable so even if I had had a TV connected to "the cable", the TV screen would have been snow.

I don't have many gripes about life here, but this whole TV tax thing gets my goat. WTF, in this age of technology, isn't there some way of allowing broadcast into only the homes which do use "the box".

I actually bought the TV we have so I'm very very tempted to toss it. If dh wants to watch, then he's responsible for buying a new one and paying the fee.

Grr..

[Jukka Aho]

WTF, in this age of technology, isn't there some way of allowing broadcast into only the homes which do use "the box".

There is. That’s not the point. The point is...

Act on Yleisradio Oy
(Finnish Broadcasting Company)

(1380/1993; amendments up to 635/2005 included)
__________
Chapter 1
Section 1 (492/2002)

Yleisradio Oy shall be a limited company operating in the administrative
sector of the Ministry of Transport and Communications and engaged in
public service in accordance with section 7. The company may also engage
in other activities in accordance with its articles of association.

[...]

Chapter 3

Section 7 (635/2005)

The company shall be responsible for the provision of comprehensive
television and radio programming with the related additional and extra
services for all citizens under equal conditions. These and other content
services related to public service may be provided in all telecommunications
networks.

The public service programming shall in particular:

1) support democracy and everyone’s opportunity to participate by providing
a wide variety of information, opinions and debates as well as opportunities
to interact;
2) produce, create and develop Finnish culture, art and inspiring
entertainment;
3) take educational and equality aspects into consideration in the
programmes, provide an opportunity to learn and study, give focus on
programming for children, and offer devotional programmes;
4) treat in its broadcasting Finnish-speaking and Swedish-speaking citizens
on equal grounds and produce services in the Sami, Romany, and sign
languages as well as, where applicable, in the languages of other language
groups in the country;
5); support tolerance and multiculturalism and provide programming for
minority and special groups;
6) promote cultural interaction and provide programming directed abroad;
and
7) broadcast official announcements, for which further provisions shall be
issued by decree, and make provision for television and radio broadcasting
in exceptional circumstances

I actually bought the TV we have so I'm very very tempted to toss it. If dh wants to watch, then he's responsible for buying a new one and paying the fee.

The whole idea of the new tax is it will replace the old, ailing TV fee system. Unlike the old system, the tax will no longer be tied to the ownership of a television set. If you’re an adult whose annual income is in excess of 7,813 euros, you’ll pay the tax no matter what you decide to do to your existing TV. (The ‘technicality’ of owning or not owning a TV set is no longer considered too relevant as these days most everything YLE produces is also provided to the general public on the Internet – and via FM radio, of course – and because the concepts of “TV”, “radio”, “Internet” (as services) and “TV set”, “PC”, “smartphone”, “tablet PC” (as devices) are converging anyway.)

[roger_roger]

1) support democracy and everyone’s opportunity to participate by providing
a wide variety of information, opinions and debates as well as opportunities
to interact;

So, the big decision to imply tv tax is made by a small survey made by Aamulehti among few hundreds/thousands people among 5 millions. "Sounds more democratic debate"

The TV set is not relevant any longer because these days most everything YLE produces is also provided to the general public via the Internet

sounds interesting; just curious how many of us would still have email id, facebook account, or still be in this finland forum if we would have to pay for the service, in top of monthly internet bill.

I would not be surprised if Aamulehti, IS, HS would come up with new survey among another few hundreds claiming newspapers/magazines should be compulsorily subscribed by people as they provide important informations. Plus the government would pass the new bill to imply compulsory tax for subscribing newspaper even if you don't read/understand one.

[Bavarian]

So, the big decision to imply tv tax is made by a small survey made by Aamulehti among few hundreds/thousands people among 5 millions. "Sounds more democratic debate"

Assuming the perople who did the poll accurately picked a cross-section of the population, a survey of 1000 people should come pretty close to the opinion of the population as a whole.

The problem I would have is whether or not they're actually fulfilling their public service mandate. I listen to quite a few international broadcasters, and the impression I get isn't necessarily one of left/right bias, but certainly propagandizing on certain issues. You should hear how obnoxious the German media are at fear-mongering against nuclear power, for example.

[Jukka Aho]

just curious how many of us would still have email id, facebook account, or still be in this finland forum if we would have to pay for the service, in top of monthly internet bill.

To my knowledge, all major Finnish ISPs maintain regular SMTP/IMAP/POP mail services and provide you with an email address (or typically several of them) as part of their basic broadband package. Not everyone might create a mail account with their ISP and use that option but it’s there, available for you, and you’re paying for the maintenance of those mail servers in your monthly bills regardless.

Facebook and Finland Forum are paid by ads which appear on their respective sites.

YLE is a non-commercial, state-owned public broadcasting service who are prohibited by law to run paid-for ads or sponsored shows on their channels. They are under special obligations to air a broad spectrum of not-necessarily-commercially-viable programming for language minorities, people who are hard of hearing, children, the elderly, etc., and also for educational purposes, for advancing arts & culture, following the legislative work in the Parliament etc. YLE can be thought of as the Finnish equivalent of the BBC as it was largely modeled after it and subscribes to similar ideals and principles (the UK being the most influential nearby TV country to look up to and the BBC arguably being the number one public broadcasting service in the world.)

[Pursuivant]

Äh, the fee will be only paid by the "sossu" as everyone knows foreigners dont do any work? Or why do you assholes then support the greens and SDP?

[Rip]

This is just BS, a big BS... almost in every family husband and wife both works, so does that mean they have to pay 150+150 separately via tax ? yle says the tax amount is much less than the license fee but It is just clever approach to say you have to pay less when they are collecting tax from all the family members separately.

Well, there are plenty of single (adult) families

So, the big decision to imply tv tax is made by a small survey made by Aamulehti

Where did you get that?
The issue is about 2.5 years old, it was originally proposed by a parliamentary committee in 2009, when its opponents called it a made to order work (ordered by YLE)

http://www.tietokone.fi/uutiset/2009/tv ... le_veroksi

[roger_roger]

Thanks "Jukka Aho" for the insightful information, never used emails provided by ISPs and don't really need one too, and if I'm paying for it then at least I am getting some service that I want that is INTERNET connection.

as the discussion about yle tax goes, I guess it keeps on going on for long, as everyone does have their own arguments like single family single fee, couple in family double fee for same tv, etc etc.

Where did you get that?
The issue is about 2.5 years old, it was originally proposed by a parliamentary committee in 2009

I know it was proposed long time ago and as I heard was almost implemented with 11th hour ditch. I mean the proof of support for the plan was the survey held by Aamulehti. (As per YLE news).

YLE must be very happy to be owned by state for such kind of fundings, I wonder someday Police may knock my door and ask for tax, as they keep the peace and are government body. If separate tax for state owned agencies are to be paid then shall we expect separate taxes for schools, hospitals, police, etc.? even though I would not mind paying tax for schools as they are foundations for future generation but separate taxes for tv, hospitals and police would be embarrassing.

[Rick1]

YLE must be very happy to be owned by state for such kind of fundings, I wonder someday Police may knock my door and ask for tax, as they keep the peace and are government body. If separate tax for state owned agencies are to be paid then shall we expect separate taxes for schools, hospitals, police, etc.? even though I would not mind paying tax for schools as they are foundations for future generation but separate taxes for tv, hospitals and police would be embarrassing.

No that will not happen because all the Finns are so happy with Kokoomus so they will just outsource the whole society. Broken in to your house and need police? Ok we will come and send you an invoice later. It is going to be beautiful, same as USA only 3 times more taxes.

[Kutittaa]

Was under the impression that YLE was dropping the need to pay the television fee and isntead taking it out of tax..

[Upphew]

Was under the impression that YLE was dropping the need to pay the television fee and isntead taking it out of tax..

Tax goes to government, government decides how tax money is used and that won't fly with independent Yle as then they wouldn't be independent. And income tax is progressive and yle tax is regressive. Tax administration has voiced their concern if they have to collect it, so we'll see how it flies...

edit. if they would get fixed cut from the taxes, then they wouldn't be independent of global economy and that wouldn't suit the Yle either...

[Rip]

edit. if they would get fixed cut from the taxes, then they wouldn't be independent of global economy and that wouldn't suit the Yle either...

That is why YLE strongly wants this new system. With old one people at least had some sort of choice if they pay or not, direct budget funding could be subject to finance ministry order to each and every ministry to find for example 5% cost savings in their own budgets (while YLE budget has been going up, up, up)

[Rick1]

Yes thanks to Mr.Sasi(KOK) who thought that 16k a month would not be enough for his new CEO (KOK) and made it 25k a month.