ORF expects to receive 722 million euros from the collection of a new mandatory TV tax, which will be imposed from 1 January: this means the fee-based broadcaster, which has recently been criticized over suspicions of anti-Semitism among children Is. news programs, 1,97 million euros are available – every minute of ORF costs Austrians 1,337.67 euros. To shake one’s head: ORF staff, especially on social media channels, repeatedly criticize the (extremely low) funding amount for private TV channels like eXXpress, which receive the same amount for an entire year as ORF does for six hours. spends in.
In the new financial plan, which the Standard is now quoting, even more horrors are hidden: the new ORF tax collectors are to collect 39.2 million euros a year – then pay 682.5 million euros for actual TV and radio production with the remaining millions of euros. Is. The sub-company OBS is therefore paid 107,397 euros per day for its work.
And the OBS will also pay a commission to private debt collectors who do not want to pay 183.50 euros per household: According to the new ORF law, all mandatory tax anti-rebels would have faced first confiscation, then administrative penalties – and finally substitute imprisonment. Is. The fine cannot be recovered. The fact is: Anyone who doesn’t want to pay for Armin Wolf, Barbara Karlich or Homer Simpson will be put in a jail cell—it’s an approach that will make huge political waves next spring, when perhaps the black- The Green federal government has decided that economically vulnerable single mothers should be held responsible for the first arrests.
ORF itself is not making much savings: 300 of the 4,000 employees are expected to leave the company, but this goal should be achieved without many layoffs with the coming waves of retirements.
And this is almost a provocation for taxpayers: ten million euros in tax money are to flow to the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra and the special-interest channel Sport Plus (daily reach: 236,000 viewers). As a reminder: it was actually planned that these two expenditure items would be eliminated altogether.
