Albania

[AL] The Licence Fee for Public Broadcasting Doubles

IRIS 2011-4:1/8

Ilda Londo

Albanian Media Institute

Starting this year, the licence fee each household pays for the public broadcasting service will double.

After a joint decision of the Ministry of Finances and the director of the public broadcaster Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (Albanian Radio and Television) each family in 2011 will pay ALL 1,200 (approximately EUR 8.7 per year, instead of ALL 600, EUR 4.34).

For years Albania has had one of the lowest licence fees for public broadcasting in the region. This fee is paid through the payment of the respective electricity bills. Until last year, the fee was paid as a lump sum, in the first trimester of each year. From now on, the sum will be divided in monthly rates of ALL 100 (EUR 0.72) in order to evenly distribute the amount that the population owes to the public broadcasting service through the year.

The collection of this sum has been a problematic issue in the past, mainly due to the inefficiency of the collection of electricity payments, as well as the inefficiency of the transfer of the funds collected from the overall State budget.

In the last few years the collection of this fee has experienced a continuous growth. At the moment, it amounts to ALL 420 million (EUR 2,940,000).

The efficient collection of the licence fee is absolutely necessary in relation to TVSH’s independence from the State budget.