Concession fees: how much are they and who has to pay them?

Concession fees: how much are they and who has to pay them?

Concession fees are fees that are used to finance public media in a number of countries. The same is true in the Czech Republic, where we have only two media of this type – Czech Television and Czech Radio. The rest of the media is subject to private ownership.

As their designation suggests, public media are financed from public sources, for the reason that, according to the Act on Radio and Television Fees and on the Amendment of Certain Acts (Act No. 348/2005 Coll.), they may not be commercially or politically addicted.

This therefore excludes the possibility of financing these media from the state budget. It would mean that it would be dependent on the decisions of politicians compiling the state budget.

Who pays the concession fees?

TV and radio broadcasts by Czech Television and Czech Radio are paid for by all ratepayers (households) who have a radio and television set at home, while each household pays only one fee, without regardless of the number of receivers. It doesn't matter if they don't actually use the TV or the radio. It therefore follows that in order for you to become a payer of concession fees, it is enough if you only own the TV or radio. Both subjects must of course be technically competent.

You are also responsible for paying concessionaire fees even if you borrow one of the receivers for more than one month. Then you pay the fee, not the actual owner of the loaned item. The same is true if you live in a rented apartment. The obligation to pay for television and radio broadcasting does not lie with the owner of the building, as it might seem, but with you as a tenant. If the radio or television equipment is part of the means of transport, its operator is responsible for paying the fees.

Concessionaire fees are paid by the household regularly every month, with the fact that they must first register themselves for this action. They must do so no later than 15 days after acquiring the receiver or after moving into a new residence.

What is the amount of concessionaire fees?

The amount of concessionaire fees is determined by law. Specifically, TV and radio fees look like this in 2022:

Registration for concessionaire fees

There are two ways to register for the payment of concessionaire fees. You can do so at individual branches of the Czech Post, while at some workplaces you can also log out. In this case, payment can also be made via SIPO.

If you don't want to deal with the registration in person, or if you simply want to avoid waiting at the post office, you can use the online registration option and pay the fees by bank transfer directly to the public media. In order to do so, you must first register on the Czech Television and Czech Radio portal. There you fill in your identification and payment information. If you run a business, you will also need to declare how many TV and radio receivers you own.

When do concession fees not have to be paid?

Although a household theoretically becomes a payer the moment it also becomes a consumer of electricity, the obligation to pay fees can be avoided in some cases. And that's completely legal.

This is, for example, a situation where the household does not own a radio or television. It is enough to confirm this fact by sending a sworn statement to Czech Television and Czech Radio that you do not own a television, radio or TV card for your computer. You can then watch TV and listen to the radio online, both on a computer and on a mobile phone. Neither of these cases is subject to a fee.

A specific example is a situation where, in addition to an apartment or a house, you also have a cottage. In this case, you only pay one concession fee. Again, you should inform the public media about this.

Even households with low incomes do not have to pay the fee for television and radio. Specifically, those whose incomes are lower than 2.15 times the subsistence minimum are exempt from it. However, households must regularly prove insufficient income, once every six months. Otherwise, they become regular taxpayers.

Other examples:

As for mobile phones, they are not subject to fees for television and radio broadcasting, even if they contain MF radios or a DVB-T tuner.

How is it in the case of entrepreneurs?

The obligation to pay concession fees is of course not avoided even by self-employed persons. The purpose for which the television or radio receiver is used does not play any role. Only its ownership is decisive. Important is the fact that entrepreneurial natural persons pay the concessionaire fee at the same time for the household.

Just like ordinary households, entrepreneurs are also obliged to register themselves for the payment of concessionaire fees within 15 days. The same also applies in the case of de-registration of the entrepreneur. As for the due date of fees, entrepreneurs pay them directly to the account of Czech Television and Czech Radio once a quarter, namely by January 15, April 15, July 15 and October 15.

Concession fees do not have to apply:

Sanctions for non-payment of concessionaire fees

If you refuse to pay the fees for television and radio broadcasting despite the fact that this obligation clearly follows from the law for you, you risk a fine of 10,000 crowns from the Czech Television, 5,000 Český Rozhlas can then demand CZK 100,000 from you, and the sanction can be imposed on you repeatedly. If you do not pay the amount owed on time, the public media may demand payment in court, including interest on late payment.

Since 2017, television and radio have even contacted households that are not yet paying by themselves, in the form of a letter. It is therefore possible that they will notify you of the obligation to pay concession fees themselves.

What are concession fees? Concession fees are fees that are used to finance public media. We have only two of them in the Czech Republic, namely Czech Television and Czech Radio. These media are financed from public sources in order to avoid their political or commercial dependence. How much will the concessionaire fees be in 2022? This year you will pay 135 CZK per month for Czech Television broadcasts. The monthly radio broadcast of Czech Radio then costs CZK 45. Who has to pay concession fees? With the exception of all households that own a TV and radio receiver that is technically capable of operation. For example, households with low incomes and blind or deaf people are exempt from fees. What if I don't pay the TV and radio broadcast fees? In this case, you face a fine. Specifically, Czech Television can demand CZK 10,000 and Czech Radio CZK 5,000 from you, including interest on late payment.
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