21. 09. 2005

SUBSCRIPTION DELAYED

BELGRADE, September 21, 2005 – The collection of TV subscription will not start from October 1, 2005, as announced earlier. The Electric Power Industry of Serbia (EPS) and the Broadcast Agency Council failed to reach an agreement on collection of subscription through power bills. While the Council insisted on having one tied bill for electricity and subscription, the EPS had stuck to their demand to separate the bills. The subscription fee will be 300 dinars per month. However, the Serbian Government still has not managed to resolve the disagreement among the two public companies over the way in which the subscription will be charged. “Our arguments, legal and financial, support the opinion that RTS subscription cannot be charged together with the electricity, however, the government will have a final saying on the matter”, said Momcilo Celabovic, director of the EPS Public Relations Center. On the other hand, Radio Television of Serbia and the Broadcast Agency Council insist on tying the two bills, saying it would oblige people to pay the subscription. They also insist on tied bill because, according to unofficial evaluation, only 25 percent of the population would pay the fee. If the decision to have a single bill is made, the ones not paying the TV subscription fee together with the electricity would face power disconnection. However, the Broadcast Council said RTS would seek court settlement of debt from the irregular payers. If the bills were combined, it would be impossible to avoid payment of the subscription fee. The lawyers explain EPS is accountable for collecting the subscription from citizens on behalf of RTS: “The citizens are obliged to pay for all services specified in the invoice to the Infostan,”, said lawyer Tanja Bozinovic. Owners of weekend cottages wonder whether they would have to pay TV subscription if they have the power connections. They say the subscription is an impost of 3,600 dinars a year, for a five-day-visit to the cottages during a year. Even when they are there, they say, they do not wish to watch television. However, the Broadcast Agency explains that the subscription will not be linked to the electricity meters or number of television sets, but will be rather charged per household. Only the persons with disabilities will be exempt from the obligation to pay the subscription fee. If the agreement on the method of subscription charge is not reached, the tax payers will still pay two and a half billion dinars (funds secured from the budget) for the RTS program.