Licence fee for the internet...

The German government are planning to extend the GEZ television and radio licence fees to all computers that have internet access! It's intended to introduce this in early 2007 and will even include company computers. Let battle commence...

do they include WAP handy's in that reggie ???

There was no mention of WAP mobiles in the report that I read. It still seems to be in the infant stages, as they haven't yet worked out their pricing structures.

I guess this is being driven by TV cards for PCs.

It'll never happen (unless you restrict it to computers supplied with a TV card, where the simpler solution would be to add extra tax on the purchase price of a "TV-enabled PC" or on the TV Card itself, if bought as a separate).

Simply slapping a tax on a computer with internet access means slapping it on all PCs...since it's almost impossible (unless you build it yourself) to have a PC these days which doesn't have an in-built modem. They are therefore all capable of internet access (just as all TVs can receive a TV signal via one of its input sockets - RF, Scart,etc.).

How much is the GEZ charge anyway? I don't think it is very much.

Just for your info, in theory all PC's with TV and/or radio cards should already be registered with the GEZ and the corresponding fee paid (whether you've got an internet connection or not!). Just like everyone registers and pays for their car radios...

I think reggie's right, I've just finished a fight with the GEZ in the course of which they sent me a copy of the relevent regulations. I'll have to check, but I think it is so broadly worded that theoretically it does actually already cover PC's with Internet access. I know they very nearly killed off the German Internet radio stations a few years back because they wanted to charge them. If I remember rightly, they're running on a temporary reprieve at the moment.

It's not the first time this has been brought up. I first heard it aired a couple of years back, but it got shelved after howls of protest from industry. However, as the number of households with Internet access continues to grow, it's not going to go away.


At the moment for a TV 16€+ / month and the discussions are running at the moment on the new rate - they want to increase it to 17,01€

it's for 3 months, you pay it 4 times a year (99,99 percent sure of this) :$

you are not serious are you. Blimey and I drive about...music full blast

Mind you...the radio aint connected...just the cd player works

it is near impossible, there are too many different ways of connecting to the internet. where did you get this info?

Rundfunkgebühren für Internet-PCs ab 2007 geplant

Hopefully this stupid idea will get stopped before it becomes law. Do you ever get the feeling that politicians just want to take money from everyone, and give very little in return (The TV being a prime example)

There is no GEZ fee on TV watched via computer!!! Saw it on TV so it must be true ! lol

The 99.99% is right as far as paying for 3 months is concerned Hannah, but the charge is 16,15 € / month.

The new rate of 17,01 € starts in 2005, assuming it's confirmed on the 8th of October by the Ministerpräsident conference (which it will be).

The plan to extend it to computers is planned for the beginning of 2007.

BUT before you all have a fit, the computer will also count as a second device - i.e. if you already have a TV and are paying the licence, nothing changes. Mainly businesses which at present have no TV will be affected.


No problem you require the service providers to notify the GEZ and you've got about 90% - 95% of users covered. Sure you could always use call-by-call, but it's not exactly comfortable and I think most people nowadays use a fixed provider.

You can find more details on t-online - www.t-online.de

In the half hour since I looked at it, t-online have removed the GEZ article from their home page, it's now only available on their computer page here: http://oncomputer.t-online.de/c/00/01/11/1112.html

This is unbelievable. They're going to be changing a licence fee for PCs (just like a TV licence).

www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/technologie/0,1518,399510,00.html

Bastards. Total bastards. As owner of a small business this adds a good couple of hundred euros onto my annual bill.



Topic merged by admin

They'll soon work out how to tax fresh air too!! Is this only a business tax or will it affect the Hermann on the street??

As far as I'm aware it's EVERYBODY

Everybody?

Well, not really everybody.

Only those who currently "don't have a TV" but do have a computer.

The way it is at the moment is simply if you register one thing, all your other RX devices are Anmeldefrei.
Businesses have to register all Radios and TV's - but I am not sure how much they actually have to pay.

Sit and wait, speculation is speculation - not reality.

Ha ha far-lands! your GEZ-free days are GEZählt!!!