The tax office is slow to recover arrears for TV license fees

Poles do not want to pay radio and television license fees and this has not changed for years. Relatively, the costs are not high and for an average family, paying them should not be a big expense.

How much is the TV license fee?

The monthly fee for a radio receiver is PLN 8.70, and for a television set – PLN 27.30. However, despite subsequent announcements by politicians about changing the system, for now collecting tribute from every household is a fiction. According to the Ministry of Finance, according to preliminary data, in the period from January to December 2023, PLN 22.1 million of the principal amount was recovered on the basis of enforcement titles issued in connection with the unpaid subscription fee for the use of the receiver. From January to December 2022, it was PLN 43.5 million, and in 2021 – PLN 47.9 million.

– These amounts prove that the effectiveness of enforcing unpaid debts is very low. A thesis should be put forward that if a citizen does not want to pay the subscription fee, he or she generally does not do it without real and far-reaching consequences – says lawyer Aldona Międlar-Adamska from the Ars AEQUI law firm. – Enforcement is becoming less and less effective. It is worth noting that every Internet user can easily find specific advice online on how to avoid paying the subscription fee, how to react to a visit from inspectors and what a citizen's rights are during an inspection, the expert adds.

Poles consistently do not pay the TV license fee

Data from the Ministry of Finance show that in 2023, enforcement proceedings based on PLN 28.4 thousand were completed in connection with the payment of arrears. executive titles. That's 50.8 percent. less than in 2022, when there were 57.8 thousand of them. In turn, in 2021, 67.8 thousand such titles were issued. The Ministry explains that the creditor of overdue fees for unpaid RTV license fees is the Director of the Financial Service Center of Poczta Polska SA

Heads of tax offices are exclusively enforcement authorities obliged to implement the enforcement orders received. This means that they are only obliged to conduct the proceedings until the receivables covered by the enforcement orders are collected or until the creditor withdraws them.

Aldona Międlar-Adamska draws attention to the fact that the entity authorized to accept RTV subscription payments is Poczta Polska SA. It is a commercial law entity, but does not have the powers of a public administration body. The tools available to the operator to enforce subscription benefits are therefore very limited. This is certainly one of the factors why citizens do not feel strong pressure to pay subscription fees.

Poczta Polska is recruiting subscription controllers

A few days ago we wrote that the Lower Silesian branch of Poczta Polska is looking for TV subscription controllers. Should this be taken as a signal that he wants to become more active in collecting fees? Not necessarily. A postal employee – a postman or any other person – cannot enter a private apartment and check whether a radio or TV set is registered. However, they have this right in relation to entrepreneurs. We write more about the work of controllers and their powers below.