TV licence fee: To pay or not to pay
One of the hottest topics in the country today has to do with the issue of TV licence and its imminent reintroduction (it never went away, but was only dormant for a while, this is not entirely wrong to say) from next month.
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The idea has thrown up some vexed matters in both traditional media and on social media. As this happens to be the most authoritative column on matters related to radio and television, it will be in order to take a bite at this inviting cherry before the craze dies down.
I have had my say on other platforms on some of the issues related to the television licence regime as being pushed by the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), National Media Commission (NMC) and allied agencies and some of those will be reflected in this column.
Resourcing the public broadcaster
GBC has been with us for well-nigh 80 years and it has been tasked as the public broadcaster to carry on its business in a manner that would ensure that the public is adequately informed, educated and entertained.
In doing this, therefore, the GBC need to be resourced to be able to do it well. One of the means which this resourcing would be done is by the collection of television licence. At least that is one of the means we have adopted as a nation since the 1960s.
This apart from government subvention and commercial activities such as advertising and sponsorships, income from television licence fee collection has been how the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation has funded its business.
The GBC has always played in the commercial space even before and after the entry of private or independent broadcasting companies.
Indeed, about 60 per cent of the income of GBC comes from commercial activities with 49 per cent from government and the remaining 1per cent from TV licence fee.
The argument is how the mix should be going forward. The GBC is expecting to raise a lot more from television licence hence the new fee of GH¢36 which compared to the existing GH¢0.30 amounts to some 10,566 per cent increase if you look at it from that point of view.
Dividing the money with GIBA, et al
Curiously, the new regime of television licence fee, based on an amendment made by Parliament, has directed that the revenue from collection be divided among GBC and other organisations.
GBC takes the big part of 72 per cent, GIBA (yes GIBA, but we’ll come to that soon) grabs 15 per cent NMC takes 4 per cent, another 4 per cent goes to Media Development Fund, Films Fund gets 2 per cent and the remaining 3 per cent would be used as management fee.
It is curious to me because I do not see the rationale for other organisations earning from this fund. What media development are we talking about? The kind that buys and distributes laptops for journalists?
What has film fund got to do with television licence? We have not even finished with the film bill and we are building a fund from TV licence fee for it. Shouldn’t the NMC be resourced by the state someway somehow? Why are they hankering for TV licence fee money?
As objectionable as these state institutions and funds benefiting from the TV licence fee money comes across to me, none comes anywhere close to GIBA. This is a private organisation that works for profit and they have been allocated as whooping a figure as 15 per cent from the TV licence fee revenue.
Lest anyone think I am arguing on the basis of the percentage, far from it. I am saying that giving even a pesewa to the GIBA is as repugnant as can be. They work for profit, they are an organisation that has come together to seek their lot and to benefit from that, how we should give our TV licence money to them instead of giving it to the GBC is lost on me.
GIBA get paid for the service they render, if they want to do public service then it is public service and,therefore,giving money to them on that basis defeats the purpose of public service, in my view
Give all to GBC, is my view on this.
Opposition to TV licence
Comments, posts, tweets and other means of expressing views on social media as well as radio and television contributions on this topic from Ghanaians indicate that paying television licence is not something people love at all.
Basically, people say they think GBC has not justified why they ought to pay television licence for their operations.
Some people have argued that they find it hard watch GTV or even do not watch any of the GBC- operated television channels, again because the content is not worth spending time on. Thus, why should they pay to resource a station they do not watch.
Then there are those who claim that they do not even watch local television because they have DStv or such other pay television platforms and hardly ever switch to the local channels. .
We have not been asked to pay this fee because we watch GTV or Obonu TV or any of the GBC-run stations. We are paying because the government says once we own a TV set, we should pay. So long as you own a TV set, whether black and white, Mikachi or Samsung you are to pay GH¢36 for the year.
The money you are paying as TV licence is to run the state broadcaster. So long as we run a state broadcaster, someone has got to pay for it to be a going concern.
Those who say they won't pay, sorry to disappoint you but you have no such choice. It is like saying you won't pay income tax because you don't know what the money is used for. It is not optional, it is not conditional, it is compulsory.
The Parliament of Ghana passed the law (I believe) and so you have to lobby Parliament to change or scrap it before August 1, till then you can’t say you won't pay. As it stands now you had better prepare GH¢36 for one set or GH¢ -60 for multiple TV sets or pay 250 penalty units or do jail time or both.
Stop GBC from commercial activities and give them all the money
If we are going to pay this much for TV licence, then GBC should be stopped from engaging in commercial activities. They should not be allowed to compete with the private broadcasters for commercial money and while at it, GBC should cut its expenses and subsist on the revenue from TV licence.
The above position goes to argue for the GBC to be the sole beneficiary of the TV licence fee revenue. No other body should be allowed to partake in it as had been proposed. Parliament ought to look at it again and call back the formula worked for the division.
Above all these, there is the need to have an independent body, like a Trust, that should be made to oversee the collection and disbursement of TV licence fee by GBC to ensure they meet value for money benchmarks.
Last word
I had hoped there was enough public education about this subject so that people would understand it more before the proposed implementation. The announcement was made in July and the new regime kicks in from August. At least give it time and continue to educate the public till January and then start.
