Amidst the numerous uncertainties characterizing the necessity of the TV Licence fee, it appears the GBC boss Dr Akuffo Annor-Ntow has muddied the waters in a recent comment on an Accra-based Radio station.
The Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Dr Akuffo Annor-Ntow in an attempt to clear the air, explained that the license is to cover content and not ownership of TV sets.
“You aren’t paying for the television set. You are paying for the content. So the principle is that the public service broadcaster will be generating content and that content is useful and to the extent that it is mandatory to provide that service, the public funds it. So it is not the television set that you are paying for. You are paying for the content.†he stated in an interview with Citi FM.
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This statement by the Director-General seems to contradict the answer given for the "Why pay TV Licence" as captured in the FAQs on the TV Licence online portal as follows:
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Special TV Licence Courts
Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo has approved the establishment of Special TV Licence Courts across the 10 regions of the country to sanction citizens who deliberately refuse to pay their TV Licence fees.
A statement signed by the secretary of the Judicial Service, Justice Alex Poku-Acheampong, said the courts will sit every Thursday with effect from January 4, 2018, until otherwise directed.
What is TV Licence
The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation GBC early this year resumed and revised fees for TV license after it was suspended for more than two decades.
Domestic TV users are to pay between GH¢36 and GH¢60 for one or more TV sets in a household while TV set repairers and sales outlets are to pay an annual sum of between GHc60 to GHc240.
Attempts to charge Ghanaians for owning television sets have not been successful, but the creation of the special court will bolster such efforts in the future.
Section 1(a) of Television Licensing (Amendment) Law, 1991 states as follows: “Any person who contravenes any provision of this law or regulation shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year.â€
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Who will benefit from TV Licence
The Revenue that will be accrued will be shared in percentage terms among Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), 72%, Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), 15%, National Media Commission (NMC), 4%, Media Development Fund, 4%, Films Fund, 2% and Management of TV Licence Fee (GBC), 3%.
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primenewsghana.com/Ghana News