Perhaps the number of SRG opponents is larger than assumed

Branka Goldstein, president of IG Sozialhilfe, warns in the current issue of the Switzerland at the weekend that social welfare recipients could defect to the camp of the SRG opponents. This is because they pay exactly the same as millionaires and wealthy people, i.e. currently 451 francs per year and household. An amount that naturally has a greater impact on a small household budget. "Some people cut their teeth on that amount," says Goldstein.

She is particularly annoyed by the fact that AHV and IV recipients with supplementary benefits can be exempted from the Billag fee, while social welfare recipients are stuck with the full amount.

This regulation is explained by the fact that the social assistance includes an amount for media consumption.

If Goldstein had his way, the radio and TV fee would be based on income. A progressive solution was discussed by the parliamentary committees when drafting the RTVG revision, but was ultimately rejected because it was too complex. The reason: unlike other progressive taxes such as income tax, the Billag fee is levied per household and not per person. The costs of introducing and operating such a system would probably not be justifiable.

Other solutions, such as the indirectly progressive solution of financing via the federal budget, were rejected because the independence of the media would be jeopardized if they were financed directly by the public purse.

According to Bfs.admin.ch around 270,000 people received social assistance in 2016. "More than half of these were Swiss nationals. How many of them are of age and therefore entitled to vote is not clear from the data. However, the number is likely to be considerable in any case. In addition, there are households that do not receive social welfare but have to get by on a low income - for them, the Billag fee is also likely to represent at least as sensitive a cut in the already tight budget. (hae)