TV Tax and Why I Love It

Like several other countries in Europe, Sweden has a TV tax and TV taxmen who roam the streets, knocking on doors and peeking in windows to see if you have a TV. Now initially, I thought this was one of the stupidest things I'd heard of... I mean how many people here don't own a TV? Why not just add it in with the normal tax so everyone basically pays for SVT (Sverige TV - the national broadcaster), just like the taxpayer funded ABC back home. It would seem to make much more sense.

I think I'm changing my mind.

Not because I enjoy paying the tax - I got caught in my new apartment by phone and didn't realise that it was the deceptively titled "Radiotjänst" that administers the TV tax. So I said "yes" to owning a TV. Then I was told several times in English I was told "You have a TV, so you must pay tax. It is Swedish Law".

The next day I also got a visit from a roaming TV taxman, who officially informed me that he could see my TV from my door, marked it on his form which I had to sign. The tax costs 1920kr a year (~350 AUD) just for the honour of owning up to ten TVs, payable quarterly.

Most, but not all Swedes pay the tax. Some seem to believe that if you slam the door in the taxmans face, even if they see the tv, as long as you don't admit it they are powerless to report you. I don't think it's quite true, and some people do end up in court. Here in the student areas the reports of tv taxmen on the prowl makes people very cautious before opening the door. My neighbour is ultra paranoid and also turns off the tv and radio every time the phone rings.

But she's not the only one...

About a month ago there was a national election here, and the lefty Social Democrats lost for only the 4th time since 1932. And only a week or so after officially taking over power, the skeleton started being marched out of the closets - 2 ministers have resigned due to under the table employment of nannies, and for not paying the TV tax. In fact the Culture minister, which oversees SVT and the TV tax system, was discovered to have not paid her TV tax for the last 16 years. Not exactly a model citizen. The scandal and subsequent exposure meant that in one week another 6000 Swedes suddenly discovered a need to pay up too.

So 4 weeks and 480 kronor later, why don't I think the TV tax system is stupid? Because of the 'B' word - Bias. Those back home who watch the ABC or read the papers probably can't avoid the constant discussion about political bias on the ABC. It has been constantly attacked by the current Liberal government, which tried to impose it's will on the board and force it to own up to being biased against it. The crazy thing is, the previous Labour government also believed the same thing. So no government is ever happy about the ABC, and both sides believe it favours the other, so its independance is always under attack. Don't believe me? Read this.

Here the head of SVT believes that by colllecting its funding independantly of the government, there is no fear of the government trying to control it by using its funding as a hostage. I honestly don't know how much the government tries to influence it, but I think she has a point. If the ABC didn't rely on the government supplying the 8 cents a day they could be free from wasting the same taxpayers money fighting the government over bias allegations.