Broadcast fee cheated? Post service targets free watchers
Whether you like it or not: the broadcasting fee is mandatory in Germany. Households have to pay 18.36 euros per month for ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio. But some evade financing and look black. The contribution service does not want to accept this and is therefore collaborating with the residents’ registration office.
If you live in Germany and run your own household, you can hardly avoid the broadcasting fee. The legislature has only provided exceptions for a few cases, for example for students or for socially disadvantaged people. Everyone else has to pay 18.36 euros per month.
To ensure that no one evades this regulation, the contribution service (formerly GEZ) compares its own database with that of the residents’ registration office at regular intervals. It’s that time again next month.
To find broadcast contribution Preller: contribution service compares data with registration offices
From November 6, 2022 the nationwide comparison of registration data begins. Then the contribution service receives Access to selected data from the registration offices on all adult citizens and compares them with their own database (source: press portal). If someone cannot be assigned to an apartment for which the broadcasting fee has already been paid, they get it from January 10, 2023 post from the contribution service and is asked for feedback.
Those addressed should not ignore the letter. Then: If the addressee does not respond, they are automatically registered for the broadcasting fee. The fee service then assumes that the broadcasting fee has to be paid for the apartment. If you get feedback that no fee has been paid yet, you will also be registered. If the license fee has already been paid, the letter should state their contribution number – then their data will be deleted immediately.
According to the contribution service, the easiest way to get feedback is online rundfunkbeitrag.de/meldedaten or via the QR code that will accompany the letter.
The selection of streaming providers is getting bigger and bigger:
Are Kika, ZDFneo and Co. disappearing from television?
Public broadcasting in Germany is facing a major reform that could also affect the TV landscape. Well-known channels such as Kika, ZDFneo or Phoenix will no longer necessarily have to be broadcast on television in the future, but can also migrate to the Internet.
