Radio And TV License Fees Abolished
Friday, 18th February 2011
With effect from 1st January 2011 there will no longer need to pay radio and television licence fees and those who have paid the fees will get a refund from the Government. Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said in Parliament "The ownership of TVs is no longer limited to the middle and higher income groups. Today, most households including 99 per cent of lower-income households own TVs. Second, with increasing media convergence, Singaporeans can now receive broadcast content over the internet and mobile devices which do nor attract licence fees. ... the licence fees are losing their relevance"
Flickr Photo Credit: Peter Stewart
A television licence (or broadcast receiver licence) is an official licence required in Singapore since 1963 for the reception of television and radio broadcasts. It is a form of hypothecation tax to fund public broadcasting, thus allowing public broadcasters to transmit programmes without, or with only supplemental, funding from radio and television commercials.