TV licences will go but defaulters must still pay up

Joseph Vassallo

Oct 19th 2010, 21:01

They are still wanting to be paid a fee for sets that were scrapped decades ago. How can the public be responsive when the authorities automatically assume that everybody is on the fiddle? Why can't they take a signed declaration as fact instead of all the crap they submit honest citizens to?

If an old man or old lady (especially those living alone) has to replace his/her set, it is because their original one, probably bought when colour TV came to Malta (how long ago was that?) was beyond repair. Yet they send bills for scrapped sets nonetheless.

Carmel cilia

Oct 19th 2010, 17:50

Minister Fenech childlishly keeps condemning himself through his own tongue." the government would be criticised for being derelict in its duty' if it does not collect the money due. But dear minister how come that in Malta there are over 230000 televisions and only half of them pay the licence.(was the govt. not derelict here)) I for one has been paying for two sets of televisions (50 euros) for many many years. Do you deem it just that honest citizens pay whilst evading ones get it over for free.
There is one word this is an ailing government having lost this ability for some years now.
Change is all this country needs and for our childrens fate: change for the better.

duncan cassar

Oct 19th 2010, 17:49

TAXXA OHRA BLA SENS + TAL KARROZZI TA INGLITERRA U HAFNA IKTAR !!!!!!!!!!!!

george lewis

Oct 19th 2010, 15:54

So tonio Fenech is once more taking us for a ride and up to his usual tricks and gimmics.T.V. licence for another two years.Is this similar to his income tax promise?Everything is possible in Malta since our finances are so strong and our bastions have withstood the onslaught of the recession.Countries with no bastions like ours are in deep red.
Why do we have to pay a licence fee when we are paying for service to Melita or Go?Is it because of the "excellent " programs we get on local tv and the evergoing repeats?


I believe minister Fenech should be applauded for making fools of us all.Let us keep living in make beliefs and keep hoping that some day promises will come true.

P Pace Balzan

Oct 19th 2010, 15:35

When the TV licence is removed it will, in all probability, be replaced by some other more controllable tax. Ex Garbage collection tax.
It would also probably be simultaneously imposed on a per person basis and on a door basis.

Rest assured that all is being carefully planned.
Malta has no alternative.

claire misfud

Oct 19th 2010, 11:41

“The Finance Minister has said the government still planned to scrap TV licences by the end of the legislature.........The government’s electoral programme is implemented over a period of five years – throughout the legislature.” - what an insult to the public's intelligence.

mario busuttil

Oct 19th 2010, 08:40

I still disagree with who doesn't want to pay the TV licence, because for other who have paid every year wouldn't be fair .In other EU countries there are still TV licence to pay for broadcasting not for cable or satellite TV.This is the link if someone like to compare with Maltese Tv licence and they are much costy than ours...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_licence#Television_licences_around_the_world

D.Micallef

Oct 19th 2010, 07:54

Why just we do not get over it! What an idiotic farce! Why should I pay this stupid licence for owning a TV set?

If we are to pay this licence to cover up expenses for PBS....just cut off the station...it's just full of useless, stupid programs!

this license reminds me of the time when we had to pay licences for owning a radio or a video recorder!

What a shame on the same people who worked for the liberalisation of telecommunications!

Oh..and by the way. For those who say "I pay my service provider"..these (service providers) are stealing our money as well! Why should we pay for watching free-to-air channels?

gaffarena joseph

Oct 19th 2010, 07:03

Those who havent paid the TV, licence are not defaulters.
Before Melita began operating in Malta,we used to see the local station, by
means of an arial,placed on our roofs.
Melita began operating, and there was no need for any ariel ,and we began payting
more this provider to see these stations.
Besides this you can see these local stations even on internet,so,the need of an ariel
was not needed any more.
This means that this govt.for the last 10 years,took this TV, licence payment illegaly.
Before jumping to conclusions,and chasing these innocent people,our finance minister
have to make his homework,and pay back all those people that in these last years continued
to pay this illegal fee.
If he is in need of money,there are more legal ways,and these few millions,can easily come by scrutining all govt, departments,and authorities that are ruining our economy .

Ramon Casha

Oct 19th 2010, 05:52

What if someone has a TV set connected to a satellite system and does not receive any of the local stations at all?

J. Greaves

Oct 18th 2010, 23:41

What about pool licences will they also be scrapped? fair is fair eh? whats good for the goose is good for the gander as they say down under.

l fenech

Oct 18th 2010, 23:38

Ghal-anqas taf xi tfisser "defaulter" Ton.

Denis A. Darmanin

Oct 18th 2010, 23:24

Licence payments should be stopped according to when the individual/residence had first subscribed to a Go/Melita service. Anything beyond that date is either forefeited or forgiven. Let providers pay since it's them to whom we pay and are fed repetitions and free to earth programs. Maybe satellite reception is better after all!

Ivan Attard

Oct 18th 2010, 22:13

Let's see how Mr Tonio Fenech is going to collect the defaulters' overdue fees now!
He has to have the balls to explain how he is going to find the other 50% who have been buying their TV's without even registering them first and make them pay up as well.
...until then he will not be grabbing my money for something I should never have been billed for as I pay through my nose for the trash channels dished out by Melita already!
...or is another 'amnesty' on the cards?

j micallef

Oct 18th 2010, 18:06

Sticking to facts and striving not to be emotional about this issue, one cannot ignore the fact that there are 110,176 sets being owned and used by Maltese households, which are not even registered let alone having their license paid! The figure today must be even greater as the statistics in the article refer to the Household Survey held 2 years ago. How can government be perceived to be fair if the 35,367 defaulters are prosecuted when there is such a much larger number who managed to enjoy their TV sets without even registering them? This may sound unfair to those who paid their dues regularly, but the only way out of this mess is for government to immediately announce that TV licenses are removed for good as promised, and let bygones be bygones, unless government risks being accused of gross discrimination. After all, this would not be the first time that an amnesty of this sort is applied, as tax amnesties have been applied in the past with income tax defaulters emerging scott free in the face of honest tax payers - and this involved large sums as compared to the TV license pittance.

a attard

Oct 18th 2010, 17:33

Therefore, the minister is going to hold the carrot in his hand until we would be having the next general election.
Can we save him the burden, strain of injuring himself by repetitive occupation, and suggest a proper place where he can shelve it until that illustrious time arrive!

M Bugeja

Oct 18th 2010, 17:00

It seems that some people are too busy feeling hurt to acknowledge that a great deal of these television sets might not be connected to the public network at all.

Nowadays a good number of people use their sets in conjunction with downloaded content, or purely for gaming purposes - since the license goes to pay for public services, similar to how a road license goes to pay for the right to use roads, one might opt out of it, just how one could own a car in a garage.

J. Portelli

Oct 18th 2010, 16:55

The thing is….. what’s the point of paying the license for a TV set which the customer is already paying to have the basic channels..

A. Azzopardi

Oct 18th 2010, 16:39

Obviously, if this licence has to be paid, then it has to be paid by EVERYBODY.

Why are just under half of TV sets not registered? And how are the authorities going to find out where these TV sets are? Yes, of course the licence has to be paid, but again I say, this has to be paid by EVERYBODY who owns a TV. Now can anybody guarantee that to me?

J Brincat

Oct 18th 2010, 15:55

This is clear discrimination against holder s of old TV sets because those purchasing a set today or importing it through the internet do not pay any licence.

Well there goes another broken promise by GonziPN. Those who voted for the PN and haven't yet paid their licence fee don't grumble but put you hand in your pockets and pay up. Dr Fenech would love you for it!

Michael C aruana

Oct 18th 2010, 14:45

I do not like to stop paying my tv licence because some 35,000 do not pay,I like the goverment to keep his promise and abolish it ,at least from this budget some three years later then deal with the defaulters any time he wants.

j cachia

Oct 18th 2010, 14:30

that is just another tax!

now let us hope that the government will not just change its name to something else like it already happened in the past, especially with a change of legislation occured

does anybody remember how swiftly we changed names from VAT to SISA and back to VAT in a matter of almost 3 years?

ridiculus but everyone knows it is true

Ramon Casha

Oct 18th 2010, 14:27

Without the license money, how can PBS buy football rights to sell to Melita?

MSciberras

Oct 18th 2010, 14:23

So. This article is the proof that I was an ASS and a FOOL for having paid my annual tv licence over the years as half of all tv sets are unregistered. Fool fool and fool am I.....I will add a fourth 'fool' when an amnesty is issued in 5 or ten years time.

Joe Morana

Oct 18th 2010, 12:46

As I understand the system, each TV set prchased by any person/household from a bona-fide retailer is automatically reported to the competent authority. The TV set itself, if imported legally, would have also been registered upon entry in the country; and the retailer is accountable for each set cycled through his/her outlet. Therefore, the system is failing if retailers cannot account for their inventory (i.e. they negleted to report a sale). If the retailer followed procedure, the purchaser would then have recieved a bill for the annual TV license, and could have ignored it. All well and good, the government should be able to track down these defaulters. But what about households with unregistered TV sets. How were those responsible able to bypass the system?

J mifsud

Oct 18th 2010, 12:43

Remember every body you are only obliged by law to pay the last five years .

Steve Sant

Oct 18th 2010, 12:29

Way back in the days of aerial, the Government was enticed into allowing cable to come to Malta. The state ministers fed us the same sale's garbage for a nicer Island without aerials. We then had to succumb to this harassment because the cable company started jamming the air to air signals, and it became impossible to watch free TV. We were then offered the same service for Lm3 or Lm5 a month, without choice. The state sold its share of the company for millions and left the rest of us having to pay hundreds of pounds for a sub standard service, we were receiving for free. Now to add insult to injury, they want us to pay for OWNING an TV, because nobody (or maybe a few hundred) receives free TV reception anymore. You make us pay, and we'll see what the EU have to say about it?.

J. Grech

Oct 18th 2010, 12:16

But before the election the Hon. Prime Minister did not say that it would be removed during these 5 years that is from 2008 to 2013.It was one of the Nationalist Party promises

Joseph Apap

Oct 18th 2010, 11:39

It is not fair that whilst I with many orhers do pay the licence due year by year there are many as much as 50% (according to this article) who do not pay this TV licence.

Mr, Minister Fenech you should see that all unpaid licences are collected
and that retailers of Televisions do not deliver sets without first obtaining the necessary licence.

Pat Hobson

Oct 18th 2010, 11:35

"The Finance Minister has said the government still planned to scrap TV licences by the end of the legislature"

There it goes. Another carrot for the electorate. Right from the horse's mouth.

Joseph Grech

Oct 18th 2010, 11:02

Tahseb li tkun gustizzja li dak li ghandhom t-tv set qadim iridu jhallsu u mijiet ta' eluf ta' settijiet moderni li nxtraw fl-ahhar snin ma jhallsu xejn????

Michael Borg

Oct 18th 2010, 11:00

OK keep the law up to 2008 , make me pay for service i dont use !! i only watch satelite and dvd's @2008 but ::) I will have my vote vote as well !!