No TV set but fine stays

After reading Jeremiah's story at the HWZ forum, I thought that he deserved to be fined.

I would agree with ringisei that since Jeremiah didn't respond to MDA's payment advice and reminder letter, he should bear the consequence of not doing so. The impression I have from reading his letter is that he has previously paid the tv licensing fee save this year, hence it is not his first time paying for it.

Moreover, in the annual payment advice, the amount to be paid for the TV license fee is boxed out and clearly labelled. It is distinct enough as it is, so it seems unlikely he could have missed it if he had read the letter. He should clarify with Licensing Services staff when he received the letter and not assume that he won't have to pay.

A common gripe is that the opt-out system penalises the minority who doesn't own TV sets and is therefore unfair. I don't think so because:

• MDA does inform those who may need to pay with clearly-marked letters and reminders so the minority who don't need to pay can still inform them. They can't claim ignorance.


• it is more cost-effective than using a heuristic that assumes the majority do not own TV sets. This doesn't tally with the reality on the ground and would lead to greater administrative costs in collecting the license fees.

As for the issue of why we need to pay TV license fees, here's what the MDA has to say.

Why MDA collects TV and vehicle radio license fees

What are Public Service Broadcasts

I wasn't sure where the money goes to, but Mediacorp's FAQ provides some enlightenment.

7. I pay the annual TV license fee but why can’t I choose what I want to watch?

The annual TV license fee is not paid to MediaCorp but is in fact, managed by the Media Development Authority of Singapore. Based on their developmental policies and regulations, MDA will then accord funding to the various production houses, television stations, media agencies etc. to stimulate the production of quality programmes and development of new media technology and infrastructure.

Some people think that we are one of a few countries which collect TV license fees. Apparently it isn't so. Countries like France, Germany, Switzerland, UK, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa collect them too. BBC is paid for through TV licensing too.


BBC license fees

Key facts of the license fees
Perhaps if our TV license fees actually helps to churn out high quality programmes, people won't complain so much?