Duzdar for socially fair ORF financing
Vienna (OTS/SK) – The new ORF contribution comes into effect on January 1st and is generally payable by all households – with exceptions for fee exemptions and for second homes. “We reject the turquoise-green model of the household levy and voted against it because it does not provide for any social graduation and the fee exemption will even be restricted in the future,” says SPÖ media spokeswoman Muna Duzdar. “The ORF needs sustainable financing – but the government has not managed to present a socially just model in more than a year. “We therefore want a quick repair now: expansion of exemptions from ORF contributions based on income and for all young people up to 24. That would also be an important democratic political signal if public broadcasting was free for young people,” said Duzdar. ****
“The SPÖ is the only opposition party that stands behind the ORF and does not want to shrink, like the Neos, or even break it up, like the FPÖ,” emphasizes Duzdar. “Sustainable financing is important to us. And since the beginning of the discussion about the necessary new ORF financing, we have insisted that it be socially fair and that the ORF is obliged to be frugal. But the turquoise-green household tax asks everyone to pay straight away, regardless of whether a household is financially strong or at risk of poverty. That’s unfair. It cannot be the case that a villa owner pays the same amount of ORF fees as a single parent, a student or a young employee,” said the SPÖ media spokeswoman.
In order to secure the financing of the ORF for 2024, the budget levy should be immediately restructured in such a way that at least the worst social hardships are cushioned in the short term:
1. Expand fee exemption – this should be based solely on income and not require any other requirements.
2. Fee exemption for all young people up to 24 – this age group in particular (many of them students and young employees) have a low income.
“It would also be an important signal in terms of democratic policy that young people can use public broadcasting free of charge,” said Duzdar. The resulting missing funds should be reimbursed to the ORF from the budget. In the medium term there must be a change in ORF financing to a socially fair financing system. (End) ah/up
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