'Outdated' TV Licence Fee Model Faces Axe in South Africa

Leading pay-TV operator, MultiChoice, has said that the current TV licence fee system should be 'eradicated' and replaced with a 'public broadcasting levy' to be collected by the SA Revenue Service. This follows a proposal by the SABC to scrap the TV licence model and introduce a public household levy, writes Victoria O'Regan for Daily Maverick. MultiChoice has echoed calls from the country's public broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), for South Africa's current TV licence model to be eliminated -- favouring the implementation of a public broadcasting tax on households. However, the service operator has said it is opposed to the SABC's proposal that subscription broadcasters be required to collect this levy from subscribers, arguing that the funds be collected by the SA Revenue Service.