Television licensing in Italy
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All owners of television equipment or any other equipment able or adaptable so to receive television are required by Italian law to have a television licence. The licence is used to part-fund the Italian public service broadcaster RAI. The licence fee was introduced for owners of radio sets in 1923, and is currently governed by a law which dates back to 1938. The annual cost of the licence fee is around €100 once VAT (IVA) is accounted for.
Unlike television licensing in the United Kingdom, there is no exception for those who only use a TV to receive non-broadcast signals such as playing DVDs or watching online videos.
From January 2016 all Italian electricity bills will carry a monthly surcharge which will be the equivalent of one tenth of the annual TV licence fee.
Cost of the licence fee over time[]
The following table shows the cost of the licence fee excluding the base rate and valued-added tax.
Year | Black & White TV | Color TV |
---|---|---|
1981 | L. 36,320 | L. 66,930[1] |
1988 | L. 88,740 | L. 108,770[2] |
1990 | L. 113,700 | L. 114,680[3] |
1991 | L. 131,140[4] | |
1992 | L. 137,730[5] | |
1998 | L. 156,150[6] | |
1999 | L. 160,530[7] | |
2000 | L. 164,860[8] | |
2001 | L. 167,360[9] | |
2002 | € 87.76[10] | |
2003 | € 91[11] | |
2004 | € 93.46[12] | |
2007 | € 97.76[13] | |
2008 | € 98.72[14] |
Abrogation Proposal[]
On 5 January 2018, Italian former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi proposed to abolish the RAI licensing fee.[15]
Notes[]
- ^ Decreto Ministeriale 12/08/1980 n. 528600
- ^ DM 04/07/1987 n. 478600
- ^ DM 27/12/1989 n. 938500
- ^ DM 20/12/1990 n. 869200
- ^ DM 20/12/1991 n. 959100
- ^ DM 29/11/1996 n. 10172400
- ^ DM 16/12/1998, n. 1373700
- ^ DM 13/12/1999, n. 1354200
- ^ DM 13/12/2000, n. 1383200
- ^ DM 30/11/2001, n. 18919
- ^ DM 20/12/2002, n. 10281
- ^ DM 22/12/2003, n. 13061
- ^ DM 15/12/2006, n. 24789
- ^ DM 18/12/2007, n. 29373
- ^ "Matteo Renzi, abolizione del canone Rai: Una mossa per far fuori Mediaset".
- Television in Italy
- Licensing
- Italian law