Editing Television licence (section)

== Countries where the TV licence has been abolished ==
{{More citations needed|talk=y|date=December 2007}}
The following countries have had television licences, but subsequently abolished them:

===Australia===
[[File:Make sure you have a current broadcast listener's licence.jpg|thumb|right|1950s [[Postmaster-General's Department]] advertisement regarding broadcast licences]]
Radio licence fees were introduced in [[Australia]] in the 1920s to fund privately owned broadcasters, which were not permitted to sell advertising. With the formation of the government-owned [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|Australian Broadcasting Commission]] in 1932, licence fees were used to fund ABC broadcasts while privately-owned stations were permitted to seek revenue from advertising and sponsorship. Television licence fees were introduced in 1956 when the ABC began television transmissions. In 1964 a television licence, issued on a [[punched card]], cost [[Australian pound|£]]6 (A$12); the fine for not having a licence was £100 (A$200).

All licence fees were abolished on 18 September 1974 by the [[Whitlam government]] on the basis that the near-universality of television and radio use meant that public funding was fairer.<ref>1974–75 Budget speech by the Hon Frank Crean, APH Hansard, 17 September 1974, p1290, introduced through the ''Broadcasting and Television Act 1974'' (Cth)</ref> Since then, the ABC has been funded by government grants, now totalling around [[Australian dollar|A$]]1.13&nbsp;billion per year, plus its own commercial activities (merchandising, overseas sale of programmes, etc.).

===Belgium===
====Flemish region and Brussels====
The [[Flemish region]] of [[Belgium]] and [[Brussels]] abolished its television licence in 2001. The [[Flemish people|Flemish]] broadcaster [[Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep|VRT]] is now funded from general taxation.

==== Walloon region ====
From 1 January 2018, the licence fee in the [[Wallonia|Walloon region]] (encompassing the French and German-speaking communities) was abolished. Licences in effect at that remained payable until their period was up but were not renewed after that period.<ref name="Belgium2018" />

The licence fee in Belgium's Walloon region was €100.00 for a television and €0.00 for a radio in a vehicle.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wallonie.be/cmsmedia/fr/autoradio_television_tout_savoir_sur_la_redevance_pdf.pdf?uri=8a838083007a58500100bd7b7b5a0eee |title=Autoradio Television Tout Savoir Sur la Redevance |access-date=19 July 2006 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060509202223/http://www.wallonie.be/cmsmedia/fr/autoradio_television_tout_savoir_sur_la_redevance_pdf.pdf?uri=8a838083007a58500100bd7b7b5a0eee |archive-date=9 May 2006 |language=fr }}</ref> One licence was needed per household with a functional television receiver, regardless of the number, but each car with a radio had to have a separate car radio licence. Household radios did not require a licence. The money raised by the fee was used to fund Belgium's French and German public broadcasters ([[RTBF]] and [[Belgischer Rundfunk|BRF]] respectively). The television licence fee was paid by people with surnames beginning with a letter between A and J between 1 April and 31 May inclusive, and those with surnames beginning with a letter between K and Z paid between 1 October and 30 November inclusive. People with certain disabilities were exempt from paying the fee. Hotels and similar lodging establishments paid an additional fee of €50.00 for each additional functional TV receiver and paid between 1 January and 1 March inclusive.

=== Bulgaria ===
A fee for use of television and radio was included the fee in the [[Bulgaria]]n Radio and Television Law passed in the 1990s. Following public criticism, the [[President of Bulgaria|president]] vetoed the law. The [[Bulgarian National Assembly]] retained the power to impose a fee but added a temporary measure funding [[Bulgarian National Television]] (BNT) and [[Bulgarian National Radio]] (BNR) directly from the national budget. This funding mechanism has been retained since then.

===Canada===
[[File:Special Private Receiving Station License 1948-49.jpg|thumb|right|From 1922 to 1953 individual members of the public were required to pay for annual Private Receiving Station licences to legally receive broadcasting stations.]]
The Radiotelegraph Act 1913 required anyone possessing a radio receiver to hold an "Amateur Experimental Station" licence,<ref>[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015064554697&view=1up&seq=211 "Laws and Regulations—Canada"], ''The Year-Book of Wireless Telegraphy & Telephony'' (1914 edition), pages 131–132.</ref><ref>[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.c2605161&view=1up&seq=1508 "Regulations: 18. Amateur Experimental Licenses"],''The Canadian Gazette'', 27 June 1914, page 4546.</ref> and pass an "Amateur Experimental Certificate of Proficiency", demonstrating the ability to send and receive Morse code at five words per minute.<ref name="babel.hathitrust.org">[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.c2605161&view=1up&seq=1512 "Regulations: 97. Amateur Experimental Certificate"],''The Canadian Gazette'', 27 June 1914, page 4550.</ref> In January 1922 the government introduced a Private Receiving Station licence for people who only intended to receive radio, rather than transmit.<ref>Mary Vipond, ''Listening In: The First Decade of Canadian Broadcasting 1922–1932'', McGill-Queen's University Press, 1992, pages 22–23.</ref><ref>[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nnc1.cu06812988&view=1up&seq=1371 Radiotelegraph Regulations: License to Operate a Radio Receiving Equipment"], ''The Canada Gazette'', 23 September 1922, page 7.</ref> The receiving station licences initially cost $1 per year. Over time this increased to $2.50 to cover radio and television broadcasts by the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)]]. The licence fee was abolished in 1953 and replaced with a 15% excise tax on television equipment (including sets, picture tubes, and parts) to fund the CBC.<ref name="eliminated">[http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2016/fin/F1-23-1-1953-eng.pdf#page=21 "Budget Speech Delivered by Hon. D. C. Abbott, Minister of Finance, in the House of Commons, Thursday, February 19, 1953"], page 21 (gc.ca)</ref> This excise tax was phased out in 1958, with the CBC's funding shifting primarily to parliamentary appropriations.

=== Cyprus ===
[[Cyprus]] had an indirect tax for [[CyBC]], its state-run public broadcasting service, paid through electricity bills dependent on home size. It was abolished in the late 1990s and CyBC is now funded by advertising and government grants.

===Denmark===
Until 2022 a [[Denmark|Danish]] media licence fee of 1353 [[Danish krone|kr]] (€182) per year was charged for any devices that could receive broadcast television.<ref>{{cite web|author=Published by Julia Stoll |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/545850/annual-tv-and-radio-licence-fees-in-denmark/ |title=• Denmark: TV and radio license fees 2010-2020 |publisher=Statista |date=2020-02-03 |accessdate=2021-03-15}}</ref><ref name="retsinformation.dk">{{cite web|url=https://www.retsinformation.dk/FormsR0710.aspx?id=152540 |title=Bekendtgørelse om licens |publisher=Retsinformation.dk |date=29 June 2013 |access-date=25 September 2013}}</ref> The majority of the licence fee funded the national radio and television broadcaster [[Danmarks Radio|DR]], with a smaller proportion funding [[TV 2 (Denmark)|TV 2's]] regional services.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dr.dk/omdr/index.asp?aid=35 |title=Forside – dr.dk/OmDR |publisher=Dr.dk |access-date=13 January 2011}}</ref> The media licence was abolished in 2022.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2018/03/18/denmark-scraps-public-tv-licence-fee/|title=Denmark scraps public TV licence fee|date=18 March 2018|website=Broadband TV News}}</ref> Funding for DR is now provided through general taxation.<ref name="statista.com"/> TV 2 is now funded through advertising revenue,<ref name="business.dk">{{cite web|url=http://www.business.dk/medier-reklame/saa-meget-af-din-licens-faar-staten |title=Så meget af din licens får staten – Medier & reklamer |publisher=Business.dk |access-date=13 January 2011}}</ref> and it receives indirect subsidies through favourable loans from the Danish state.

=== Finland ===
[[File:Televisiolupa 1961.jpg|thumb|Stamped in [[Loviisa]]. The price for half a year was 3,000 [[Finnish markka|Mk]] in 1960s.]]
The television fee in [[Finland]] was between €244.90 and €253.80 per year for each household with a television. It was the primary source of funding for [[Yleisradio]] (Yle). In 2013 it was replaced with the [[Yle tax|Yle public broadcasting tax]] ({{langx|fi|yleisradiovero}}, {{langx|sv|rundradioskatt}}), a progressive income tax up to €163 per person.<ref name="End of the road for TV license fees" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tv-maksu.fi/en/index/tietoa/uutiset/2012/P_63.html|title=Tämä domain on varattu asiakkaallemme |website=Tv-maksu.fi|access-date=26 June 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tv-maksu.fi/en/index.html|title=Tämä domain on varattu asiakkaallemme |website=Tv-maksu.fi|access-date=26 June 2016}}</ref> People with low incomes and under the age of eighteen years are exempt from the tax.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vero.fi/en/About-us/information_and_material_on_taxatio/public_broadcasting_tax/ |title=Article in ''Finnish Public Broadcasting Tax for individual taxpayers'' |access-date=6 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180706191205/https://www.vero.fi/en/About-us/information_and_material_on_taxatio/public_broadcasting_tax/ |archive-date=6 July 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Residents of [[Åland]] did not have to pay the tax until 2020, but have been paying a media tax since 2021, which is currently (2024) at 123 euros per year.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2021-05-06 |language=en |title=Public Broadcasting Tax and Åland Islands media fee |url=https://www.vero.fi/en/About-us/newsroom/visual_aids_for_presentations_and_for_t/public_broadcasting_tax/}}<!-- auto-translated from German by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>

===France===
Until 2022 a broadcasting licence fee ({{Lang|fr|contribution à l'audiovisuel public}}) funded [[Radio France]] and [[France Télévisions]].<ref>{{cite web |author=DDM |url=http://www.ddm.gouv.fr/article.php3?id_article=796 |title=A quoi sert la redevance audiovisuelle ? |publisher=Ddm.gouv.fr |date=20 January 2005 |access-date=13 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101031073940/http://www.ddm.gouv.fr/article.php3?id_article=796 |archive-date=31 October 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> People under the age of 21, under 25 and in full-time education, and those who had a household income below a certain threshold were exempt from the fee. The fee was abolished in 2022 and replaced with direct funding from the [[Trésor public|French Treasury]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-08 |title=Emmanuel Macron promises to scrap TV licence fee if re-elected |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/08/emmanuel-macron-promises-to-scrap-tv-licence-fee-if-re-elected |access-date=2022-03-08 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref><ref name="walesonline.co.uk"/>

===Gibraltar===
Until 2006 television licence fees provided funds to the [[Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation]] (GBC).<ref>[http://www.gibraltar.gov.gi/latest_news/press_releases/2006/CM_Speech.pdf Chief Minister's Budget Speech] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061007054329/http://www.gibraltar.gov.gi/latest_news/press_releases/2006/CM_Speech.pdf |date=7 October 2006}}, Government of Gibraltar Information Services, 28 June 2006. Retrieved 21 November 2006.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://commonwealth.live.poptech.coop/Templates/YearbookInternal.asp?NodeID=140426|title=Commonwealth Secretariat – Gibraltar|website=Commonwealth.live.poptech.coop|access-date=26 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928010642/http://commonwealth.live.poptech.coop/Templates/YearbookInternal.asp?NodeID=140426|archive-date=28 September 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> The licence fee was scrapped due to the low amount of fees.<ref name="for">{{cite news |title=£8 million luxury building for GBC: WHAT NEXT? |url=http://www.gibraltarpanorama.gi/164138 |access-date=3 November 2024 |work=Gibraltar Panorama |date=2 May 2019}}</ref> Even before the abolition of the licence fee, the majority of GBC's funding came as a grant from the government.

===Hungary===
In [[Hungary]], licence fees nominally exist, but since 2002 residential fees have been paid from the state budget.<ref>{{cite book
| title = Television across Europe: regulation, policy and independence: Hungary
| publisher = EU Monitoring and Advocacy Program (EUMAP)/ Open Society Institute (OSI)
|year=2005
| isbn = 978-1-891385-35-3
| url = http://www.eumap.org/topics/media/television_europe/national/hungary/media_hun1.pdf  | pages = 789–864| author = Open Society Institute, EU Monitoring and Advocacy Program; Network Media Program.}}
</ref> This means that funding for [[Magyar Televízió]] and [[Duna TV]] comes directly from taxation. Commercial venues such as hotels and bars also had their fees paid between 2002 and 2007, but since then they have needed to make a payment per television set.

Ever since privatisation in 1995,<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.ce-review.org/99/6/tv_csardas6.html
| title = Screen Test: TV broadcasting in Hungary
| author = Gusztav Kosztolanyi
| publisher = Central Europe Review
| date = 31 July 1999
| access-date = 14 June 2010
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100324115044/http://www.ce-review.org/99/6/tv_csardas6.html
| archive-date = 24 March 2010
| url-status = usurped
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.ce-review.org/99/7/csardas7.html
| title = "No one's jamming their transmission...": TV broadcasting in Hungary – Episode Two: Privatisation and scandal
| author = Gusztav Kosztolanyi
| publisher = Central Europe Review
| date = 6 August 1999
| access-date = 14 June 2010
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110607002808/http://www.ce-review.org/99/7/csardas7.html
| archive-date = 7 June 2011
| url-status = usurped
}}</ref> the public broadcaster MTV has had persistent financial difficulties.<ref>{{cite web
 |url          = http://www.wieninternational.at/en/node/12327
 |title        = Hungary's media landscape
 |publisher    = Wieninternational
 |date         = 29 January 2009
 |access-date   = 14 June 2010
|archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100814191008/http://www.wieninternational.at/en/node/12327
 |archive-date = 14 August 2010
|url-status     = dead
 |df           = dmy-all
}}</ref> During the [[Late-2000s recession|2009 financial crisis]], parliament cut their funding by more than 30 per cent, a move that was publicly condemned by the EBU.<ref>{{cite web
 |url          = http://www.ebu.ch/en/union/news/2009/tcm_6-66649.php
 |publisher    = [[European Broadcasting Union]]
 |title        = EBU urges rethink of cuts to Hungary's public broadcaster
 |date         = 11 November 2009
 |access-date   = 14 June 2010
|archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110607055222/http://www.ebu.ch/en/union/news/2009/tcm_6-66649.php
 |archive-date = 7 June 2011
|url-status     = dead
 |df           = dmy-all
}}</ref>

===Hong Kong===
Hong Kong previously had a radio and television licence fee for [[RTHK|Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK)]] and [[Rediffusion Television]], costing 36 [[Hong Kong dollar]]s per year. RTHK is now funded by the [[Hong Kong Government]].

===Iceland===
The television licence fee for [[Iceland]]'s state broadcaster [[RÚV]] was abolished in 2007 and replaced with a [[Tax per head|poll tax]] of 17,200 [[Icelandic króna|kr.]] from everyone who pays income tax, regardless of whether they use television and radio.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ruv.is/um-ruv/afnotadeild |title=Afnotadeild &#124; RÚV |access-date=19 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005203314/http://ruv.is/um-ruv/afnotadeild |archive-date=5 October 2012}}</ref>

===India===
[[India]] introduced a radio receiver licence system in 1928 for [[All India Radio]] (AIR) Akashvani. Television licensing began in 1956–57. In 1976, public television was separated from AIR as a separate company, [[Doordarshan]]. In the 1970s and 1980s,  radio licences cost Rs 15 per year and television licences cost Rs 50. The wireless licence inspector from the post office was authorized to check every house and shop for a Wireless License Book, and to issue penalties or seize the receiving equipment for non-payment. In 1984, the licensing system was withdrawn. AIR and Doordarshan are both funded by the Government of India and by income from advertising.

===Indonesia===
A radio tax for [[Radio Republik Indonesia|RRI]] funding was introduced in 1947,<ref>{{cite web| url = https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Home/Details/25253/uu-no-12-tahun-1947| title = Undang-undang (UU) No. 12 Tahun 1947 Menetapkan "Pajak Radio" atas Semua Pesawat Penerimaan Radio| website = [[Audit Board of Indonesia|Financial Audit Board of Indonesia]]| access-date = 27 June 2020}}</ref> during the [[Indonesian National Revolution]]. The television fee was introduced soon after [[TVRI]] started broadcasting in 1962. The radio tax was abolished in the 1980s.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}} The television fee continued into the 1990s. Its abolition started after public protests about the company that collected the fee, which was run by the Indonesian President's son,<ref>Kitley, P. (2000). ''Television, Nation, and Culture in Indonesia''. [[Ohio University]] Center for International Studies.</ref> but areas such as [[Bandung]] and [[Surabaya]] continued to have a television fee throughout the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.kompasiana.com/djuliantosusantio/57ba4715b67a61190b16fe36/pajak-radio-dan-pajak-televisi-hilang-ditelan-modernisasi| title = Pajak Radio dan Pajak Televisi Hilang Ditelan Modernisasi| author = Djulianto Susantio| website = Kompasiana.com| date = 22 August 2016| access-date = 27 June 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Iuran TVRI - Iuran Penyiaran |url=http://www.tvrisby.com/iuran_tvri.html |website=Televisi Republik Indonesia Stasiun Surabaya |access-date=26 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011224065859/http://www.tvrisby.com/iuran_tvri.html |archive-date=24 December 2001}}</ref> A "broadcasting fee" ({{langx|id|iuran penyiaran}}) was included in legislation in 2002 but has not been implemented. Public radio and television are currently funded through a combination of advertising and funds from the state budget.

===Israel===
Licence fees were the primary source of revenue for the [[Israel Broadcasting Authority]] when it was the state broadcaster. Every household was charged [[Israeli new shekel|₪]] 345 (€73) for a television licence and car owners were charged [[Israeli new shekel|₪]] 136 (€29) for a radio licence. The television licence was abolished in 2015,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/iba-workers-cry-foul-over-ban-on-expressing-political-opinions/|title=State broadcast journalists condemn ban on expressing political opinions|website=The Times of Israel|access-date=26 June 2016}}</ref> but a radio licence is still required of car owners.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.il/he/Departments/Guides/vehicles_licences?chapterIndex=5|title=gov|website=gov.il}}</ref> Since the 1980s, the television programs of the Israeli Broadcasting Authority were sponsored by commercial entities, and the airing of [[Public service announcements]] in a pseudo-commercial format became widespread. Both of these practices, while forbidden by the BBC model of television license, were also found in continental European public broadcasters, albeit in a smaller scope than under the IBA. Their use in Israel caused a widespread public sentiment that the license fee failed in its goal of ensuring that public broadcasting is free of commercial interests.

The Israel Broadcasting Authority was replaced by the [[Israeli Broadcasting Corporation]] in May 2017. Its radio stations carry advertising and some of its television programmes are sponsored by commercial entities.

=== Liechtenstein ===
An annual licence was required between 1978 and 1998 for households with broadcast receiving equipment. The income was divided between [[Swisscom|PTT]] and the Swiss national broadcaster, [[Swiss Broadcasting Corporation|SRG]]. Since 1998, an annual government grant for public media is administrated by the Mediakommision.

The sole radio station in the principality, [[Radio Liechtenstein]], was founded as a private commercial music station in 1995. It was nationalised in 2004 under {{ill|Liechtensteinischer Rundfunk|de}} to create a domestic [[public broadcasting]] station. It is funded by commercials and the public broadcasting grant.

===Malaysia===
The annual television licence fee for television in 1990 was at RM 24,<ref name="scrap"/> previously RM 36 in 1986 and RM 12 in 1985,<ref name="fees">{{cite news |title=Colour TV fees up |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19850926-1.2.22.6 |access-date=17 December 2023 |work=The Straits Times |date=26 September 1985}}</ref> while the radio licence fee in 1990 was at RM 12;<ref name="scrap"/> unchanged since the 1960s.<ref name="MAY"/> The licence fee for the former was also the lowest in the world as of 1989.<ref>{{cite news |title=KL to scrap radio licence fees |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19890227-1.2.22.6 |access-date=17 December 2023 |work=The Straits Times |date=27 February 1989}}</ref> The licence fee for monochrome televisions in 1985 was at RM 24.<ref name="fees"/>

Licences for home-use radios were abolished by late 1985 with the amendments to the Telecommunications Act 1960,<ref>{{cite news |title=Home radios may not need licences by year-end |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19850910-1.2.19.3 |access-date=12 December 2023 |work=The Straits Times |date=10 September 1985}}</ref> while radio licences were abolished on 1 January 1991, due to Malaysia's improved economic performance.<ref name="scrap">{{cite news |title=Govt to scrap radio licence next year |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19900817-1.2.31.1 |access-date=15 December 2023 |work=The Straits Times |date=17 August 1990}}</ref>

46.5% of television owners did not pay for the television licence in 1995.<ref>{{cite news |title=REVENUE LOSS |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19950611-1.2.28.3.3 |access-date=17 December 2023 |work=The Straits Times |date=11 June 1995}}</ref>

In 1995, the government had planned to introduce pre-payment of television licence fees for people who have purchased a new television once every ten years, amounting RM 240 for each, replacing the annual payment which caused the government to lose millions of ringgit every year.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ministry proposes prepayment of licence fee for new TV sets |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19950808-1.2.33.8 |access-date=17 December 2023 |work=The Straits Times |date=8 August 1995}}</ref>

The government planned to add a separate licence for cable and satellite television owners and an increase of television licence fee for such users in 1996;<ref>{{cite news |title=TV FEES MAY GO UP |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19960713-1.2.34.5.5 |access-date=17 December 2023 |work=The Straits Times |date=13 July 1996}}</ref> it also had planned to increase the television licence fee to RM 36 in 1998.<ref name="MAY">{{cite news |title=TV LICENCE FEE MAY GO UP |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19980402-1.2.34.6.1 |access-date=17 December 2023 |work=The Straits Times |date=2 April 1998}}</ref>

The television licence fees were abolished in April 1999; however people still paid for the fees. The government decided to refund the fees that amounted to RM 67 million,<ref>{{cite news |title=KL govt to refund RM67m in TV fees |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19991101-1.2.50.2 |access-date=17 December 2023 |work=The Straits Times |date=1 November 1999}}</ref> becoming just RM 21 million in 2000.<ref>{{cite news |title=Govt to refund $9.2 million to TV licence holders |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes20000115-1.2.77.6 |access-date=17 December 2023 |work=The Straits Times |date=15 January 2000}}</ref>

Until April 2000,<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Lee|editor1-first=Chun Wah|editor2-last=Goonasekera|editor2-first=Anura|editor3-last=Venkatraman|editor3-first=S.|title=Asian Communication Handbook|date=2003|publisher=Asian Mass Communication Research and Information Centre|isbn=9971-905-97-3|page=171|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3ua4AAAAIAAJ|access-date=23 January 2020}}</ref> [[Malaysia]] had an annual television licence fee of MYR 24 (MYR 2 per month), one of the lowest television licence fees in the world. Now, [[Radio Televisyen Malaysia|RTM]] is funded by the government and advertising.

===Malta===
The licence fee in [[Malta]] funded [[Television Malta]] (TVM), and the radio stations Radio Malta and Radju Parliament run by [[Public Broadcasting Services]]. Approximately two-thirds of TVM's funding came from the licence fee, with much of the remainder coming from commercials.<ref>(May 2002) {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20091009131525/http://www.circom-regional.org/crdocs/european-benchmarking2002.pdf European Benchmarking: Public Service Broadcasters in the Digital Era]}}, Circom Regional (European Association of Regional Television). Retrieved 21 November 2006.</ref> Malta's television licence was abolished in 2011 when the [[free-to-air]] system was discontinued.

=== Netherlands ===
Advertising on public television and radio started in 1967 but was tightly regulated. Initially there was only a small advertising segment before and after news broadcasts. In the late 1980s, commercial breaks of 1 to 3 minutes were allowed between programmes. Advertising on Sundays was not permitted until 1991.
Due to excessive collection costs, the fee was abolished around 2000.<ref name="ero">(May 2006) [http://www.ero.dk/documentation/docs/doc98/official/pdf/ECCREP084.PDF Analysis of Responses on Fees for Broadcasting and Fees for Non-Commercial and Passive Services] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070615191909/http://www.ero.dk/documentation/docs/doc98/official/pdf/ECCREP084.PDF |date=15 June 2007}}, Electronic Communications Committee (ECC)
within the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT).</ref> Income tax was increased and the maximum duration  of commercial breaks was extended to 5 and 7&nbsp;minutes.<ref name="ero" /> The [[Netherlands Public Broadcasting]] is now funded by government subsidy and advertising. The amount of time used by commercial breaks may not exceed 15 per cent of daily broadcasting time or 10 per cent of total annual broadcasting time.

===New Zealand===
Licence fees were first used in New Zealand to fund the radio services of what was to become the [[New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation]]. Television was introduced in 1960 and with it the television licence fee, later known as the public broadcasting fee. This was capped at [[New Zealand dollar|NZ$]]100 a year in the 1970s, and the country's two television channels, while still publicly owned, became increasingly reliant on advertising. From 1989, it was collected and disbursed by the Broadcasting Commission ([[NZ On Air]]) on a contestable basis to support local content production. The public broadcasting fee was abolished in July 1999.<ref>{{cite web |last1=New Zealand Government |title=Broadcasting Amendment Act 1999 |url=https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1999/0063/latest/whole.html#DLM30043 |access-date=24 April 2025}}</ref><ref>[http://www.treasury.govt.nz/budget/1999/pdfs/exec-sum99.pdf Investing in the Next Generation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216134431/http://www.treasury.govt.nz/budget/1999/pdfs/exec-sum99.pdf |date=16 February 2016 }}, Economic and Fiscal Forecast Summary, [[New Zealand Treasury]], 1999</ref><ref name="NZabolish"/> NZ On Air was then funded by a direct appropriation from the Ministry for Culture and Heritage.

=== North Macedonia ===
The licence fee in the [[Republic of North Macedonia]] was around €26 per year.<ref>
{{cite book
| title = Television across Europe: regulation, policy and independence: Republic of North Macedonia
| publisher = EU Monitoring and Advocacy Program (EUMAP)/ Open Society Institute (OSI)
|year=2005
| isbn = 978-1-891385-35-3
| url = http://www.eumap.org/topics/media/television_europe/national/macedonia/media_mac1.pdf
| pages = 1165–1230
| author = Borce Manevski, MA in Communications and Media.}}
</ref> Until 2005 it was collected monthly as part of the electricity bill. From November 2005, [[Macedonian Radio-Television]] (MRT) collected the fee until this responsibility was taken over by the Public Revenue Office. The fee was paid per household, with exemptions for households not covered by a broadcasting signal, and households of people with severe vision or hearing impairment. Hotels and motels were charged one broadcasting fee for every five rooms, legal persons and office space owners paid for one broadcasting fee for each 20 employees or other users of the office space, and owners of catering and other public facilities paid per television set. MRT also received income from advertising and sponsorship.

In January 2017, the licence fee was abolished. MRT, Macedonian Broadcasting and the Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services are now financed directly from the Budget of the Republic of North Macedonia.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mrt.com.mk/node/43078 |title=МРТ |access-date=10 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180811032301/http://www.mrt.com.mk/node/43078 |archive-date=11 August 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Norway===

The licence fee in [[Norway]] was abolished in January 2020. Before that, every household with a television needed to pay a fee of {{circa}} 3000 [[Norwegian krone|kr]] (c. €305). The fee was charged per household. People in a house who had a separate television and were not in the parental care of the householders needed to pay a separate licence fee.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nrk.no/informasjon/lisens/1.8037531 |title=5.Who has to pay TV licence fee? - Lisens - NRK |access-date=24 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120618123300/http://www.nrk.no/informasjon/lisens/1.8037531 |archive-date=18 June 2012}}</ref> 
The fee was the primary source of income for [[Norsk Rikskringkasting]] (NRK).<ref name="NRK">{{cite web |url=http://www.nrk.no/informasjon/lisens/1.2843183 |title=Fakta om kringkastingsavgiften - Lisens - NRK |access-date=14 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091231145341/http://www.nrk.no/informasjon/lisens/1.2843183 |archive-date=31 December 2009}}</ref> Since 2020, funding for NRK comes through taxation from each individual liable for income taxes in Norway.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ny finansiering av NRK – spørsmål og svar|url=https://www.nrk.no/informasjon/ny-finansiering-av-nrk-_-sporsmal-og-svar-1.14681657|url-status=live|website=NRK|date=2 September 2019|language=no|access-date=12 April 2021|archive-date=18 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418154142/https://www.nrk.no/informasjon/ny-finansiering-av-nrk-_-sporsmal-og-svar-1.14681657}}</ref>

===Romania===
Until 2017 a licence fee was collected as part of the electricity bill. It made up part of [[Televiziunea Română]]'s (TVR) funding, with the rest coming from advertising and government grants. Everyone with a television receiver or a computer needed to pay.
In 2016, the Parliament of Romania decided to abolish the fee from 1 January 2017.<ref name="eurotopics.net">{{cite web|url=https://www.eurotopics.net/de/168977/rumaeniens-parlament-kippt-rundfunkgebuehr|title=Rumäniens Parlament kippt Rundfunkgebühr|website=eurotopics.net|date=4 November 2016 }}</ref> Since then, TVR's funding mainly comes from government grants and advertising.

===Singapore===
Residents of Singapore with televisions in their households, or televisions or radios in their vehicles, were required to acquire the appropriate licences from 1963 to 2010. The licence fee in 1963 was at $24 per year ($2 per month), touted at the time as being "one of the cheapest in [[South East Asia|this part of the world]]".<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=3 January 1963 |title=S'pore TV starts next month |newspaper=The Straits Times |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19630103-1.2.15?qt=%22channel%205%22&q=%22Channel%205%22 |access-date=8 August 2023}}</ref> The licence fees are channelled to the [[Infocomm Media Development Authority|Singapore Broadcasting Authority]] where they would be used to fund minority and public service programmes.<ref>{{cite news |title=TV delivers audiences to advertisers, entertainment and news come second |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19950423-1.2.79.22.1 |access-date=11 December 2023 |work=The Straits Times |date=23 April 1995}}</ref>

As of 1991, the licence fee was at $100 per year.<ref>{{cite news |title=Rancangan Melayu tidak harus ketinggalan |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/beritaharian19911222-1.2.11.5.1 |access-date=1 November 2024 |work=Berita Harian (Singapore) |date=22 November 1991}}</ref>

The licence fees were abolished from 1 January 2011. Then Finance Minister [[Tharman Shanmugaratnam]] reported that he was abolishing the fees as they were "losing their relevance".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1111579/1/.html|title=Channel NewsAsia|publisher=Channel NewsAsia|access-date=12 July 2015|archive-date=30 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630174815/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1111579/1/.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Slovakia===
The TV licence fee in [[Slovakia]] was €4.64 per month (€55.68 per year).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.slov-lex.sk/pravne-predpisy/SK/ZZ/2012/340/|title=340/2012 Z.z. – Zákon o úhrade za služby verejnosti... |website=Slov-lex.sk|access-date=27 January 2018}}</ref> In addition to the licence fee, [[RTVS]] also received state subsidies and money from advertising. The license fee was abolished from 1 July 2023.<ref name="tvnoviny.sk"/>

=== Soviet Union ===
Until 1961, all radio and television receivers in the Soviet Union were required to be registered in local telecommunication offices and a subscription fee was to be paid monthly. Compulsory registration and subscription fees were abolished on 18 August 1961, with prices of radio and television receivers raised to compensate for the lost fees.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/2994959|title=Могут быть использованы вражескими элементами|date=13 June 2016|work=Журнал "Коммерсантъ Власть"|access-date=25 April 2018|publisher=[[Kommersant]]|page=45|language=ru}}</ref>

=== Sweden ===
{{Main|Television licensing in Sweden}}
On 1 January 2019, the television licence ({{langx|sv| TV-avgift}}, literally ''TV fee'') in Sweden was scrapped and replaced by a "general public service fee" ({{langx|sv|allmän public service-avgift}}), which is a flat income-based public broadcasting tax of 1 per cent, capped at {{currency|1300|SEK|first=yes}} (approximately {{currency|145|USD}} or {{currency|126|EUR}}) per person per year.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.radiotjanst.se/en/Radio-and-TV-fee/the-radio-and-tv-fee-is-being-replaced/|title=The radio and TV fee is being replaced|work=Radiotjänst|access-date=15 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116001235/https://www.radiotjanst.se/en/Radio-and-TV-fee/the-radio-and-tv-fee-is-being-replaced/|archive-date=16 November 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> The fee is administered by the [[Swedish Tax Agency]] ({{langx|sv|Skatteverket}}),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://skatteverket.se/privat/skatter/arbeteochinkomst/skattetabeller/publicserviceavgift.4.22501d9e166a8cb399f31dd.html|title=Public service-avgift {{!}} Skatteverket|last=Skatteverket|website=skatteverket.se|language=sv|access-date=30 December 2018}}</ref> on behalf of the country's three public broadcasters [[Sveriges Television]] (SVT), [[Sveriges Radio]] (SR) and [[Sveriges Utbildningsradio]] (UR). The fee pays for 5 television channels, 45 radio channels, and online television and radio.

Previously the television licence was a household-based flat fee. Originally it was referred as the "television licence" ({{langx|sv|TV-licens}}), but in the 2000s was renamed "television fee". It was last charged in 2018 at {{currency|2400|SEK}} per annum.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.radiotjanst.se/en/Radio-and-TV-fee/|title=Radio and TV fee|work=Radiotjänst|access-date=15 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190121192653/https://www.radiotjanst.se/en/Radio-and-TV-fee/|archive-date=21 January 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> It was payable in monthly, bimonthly, quarterly or annual instalments,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.radiotjanst.se/en/Payment/|title=Payment|work=Radiotjänst|access-date=15 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707173316/https://www.radiotjanst.se/en/Payment/|archive-date=7 July 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> to the agency [[Radiotjänst i Kiruna]], which was jointly owned by SVT, SR and UR. The fee was collected by every household or company containing a television set, and possession of such a device had to be reported to Radiotjänst by law. One fee was collected per household regardless of the number of television sets in the home or at other locations owned by the household, such as summer houses. Although the fee also paid for radio broadcasting, there was no specific fee for radios since the radio licence was abolished in 1978.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.radiotjanst.se/en/Radio-and-TV-fee/The-history-behind-the-fee/|title=The history of the Swedish license fee|work=Radiotjänst|access-date=15 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116000955/https://www.radiotjanst.se/en/Radio-and-TV-fee/The-history-behind-the-fee/|archive-date=16 November 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Television licence evasion was suspected to be around 11 to 15 per cent.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.svt.se/kultur/medier/sa-ska-public-service-finansieras-i-framtiden|title=Så ska public service finansieras i framtiden|last=Nyheter|first=SVT|date=16 October 2017|work=SVT Nyheter|access-date=15 November 2018|language=sv}}</ref>

===Taiwan===
[[File:ROC-MOTC television sets license.jpg|thumb|A Taiwanese TV licence]]
Between 1959 and the 1970s, all radio and TV receivers in Taiwan were required to have a licence with an annual fee of [[New Taiwan dollar|NT$]]60. This was to prevent influence from mainland China's (the People's Republic of China) channels.<ref>{{cite web |title=廣播收音機執照 |trans-title=TV and Radio Licensing in Taiwan |url=http://dict.th.gov.tw/term/view/1182 |website=[[Taiwan Historica]] |access-date=9 November 2019 |archive-date=18 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191118045151/http://dict.th.gov.tw/term/view/1182 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Thailand ===
The Radio Broadcasting and Television Act, B.E. 2498 (1955) set a lifetime licence fee of 200 [[Thai baht|baht]] (equivalent to {{Format price|{{Inflation|TH|200|1955}}}} baht in {{Inflation/year|index=TH}}) for ownership of radio and television sets or parts.<ref>[https://ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/documents/1162326.pdf พระราชบัญญัติวิทยุกระจายเสียงและวิทยุโทรทัศน์ พ.ศ. ๒๔๙๘] [Radio Broadcasting and Television Act, B.E. 2498] (PDF). ''Royal Thai Government Gazette'' (in Thai). No. 72 Section 11: 237–248. 8 February 1955. Retrieved 2 November 2023.</ref> It was abolished in 1959 as television and radio quickly became a vital source of information.<ref>[https://ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/documents/1186951.pdf พระราชบัญญัติวิทยุกระจายเสียงและวิทยุโทรทัศน์ (ฉบับที่ ๒) พ.ศ. ๒๕๐๒] [Radio Broadcasting and Television Act (No. 2), B.E. 2502] (PDF). ''Royal Thai Government Gazette'' (in Thai). No. 76 Section 43: special edition pages 1–6. 7 April 1959. Retrieved 2 November 2023.</ref>