GBC begins collection of TV licence fee
The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) yesterday officially launched the reintroduction of the collection of the TV Licence fee.
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The new TV Licence fee has been categorised into three. The first category is the domestic use, which is GH¢36 per TV and GH¢60 for two or more TV sets in the same house. For TV set repairers and outlets, which form the second category, they will be paying GH¢60, while TV dealers will be paying GH¢120.
GBC website
The ceremony also marked the official launching of the company’s website to facilitate online payment of the TV Licence as well as other information on the TV Licence.
The brief ceremony was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Communications, the National Media Commission (NMC), the board members of the corporation and the staff.
Modalities
Outlining the modalities of payment, the Board Chairman of the GBC, Mr Richard Kwame Asante, explained that for domestic users, there would be collection points wherever the TV Licence logo would be found.
He said for now, the corporation had no intention to send collectors and a task force to residences, to ensure that they pay, rather, “We are appealing to the public as patriotic and law-abiding citizens to voluntarily go out there and pay.”
Voluntary payment
Mr Asante urged the public to voluntarily pay the TV Licence fee.
He further pledged to the NMC and all others that “we shall diligently collect the TV Licence fees to enable us to carry out the public service mandate.”
Mr Asante, therefore, cautioned domestic users that they should disregard anyone who visits their residences in the name of GBC to collect licence fees, “Because we have not mandated anyone to do so.”
Commercial entities
With the commercial dealers and outlets, he explained that they would be issued with invoices for them to pay.
Appreciation
The Director-General of the GBC, Major Albert Don-Chebe (retd), said the day marked the resurrection of GBC, and expressed his profound gratitude to Parliament, the NMC, the Ministry of Communication and the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) for their tremendous role in pursuing the agenda.
He thanked all the stakeholders and staff of the GBC for their support to ensure that GBC played the role of a truly independent public service broadcaster to prosecute its agenda.
The Executive Secretary of the NMC, Mr George Akwasi Sarpong, said the challenges in the days ahead as to how well the licence fee would be collected.
He said the NMC was supporting the call for the reintroduction of the TV licence fee in the belief that the only way for Ghana to get a truly independent public service broadcaster was to support such a cause.
Some members of the public, who witnessed the launch, queued to pay their TV Licence fee at the event grounds.