The collection of TV License fee has begun in earnest across the country with many owners of TV sets trooping in their numbers to register and pay for their licenses, Today checks have revealed.
This follows an Accra court’s ruling last week giving the state broadcaster, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), the mandate to take the annual fee from TV set owners, commercial entities, repairers and dealers.
The process, which begun last week Tuesday, August 11, 2015 has received massive patronage from Ghanaians including prominent citizens like Dr. Joyce Aryee, Dr. Nyaho Nyaho Tamakloe, some ministers of state, among others who had registered and paid for their TV licenses, this paper gathered.
Per the TV Licensing Act 1966 (NLCD 89) as amended, mandates GBC to collect license fee annually.
Today is reliably informed that failure to pay for the licence this year would attract double payment next year.
“And the system has been configured in such a way that you will be billed twice if you do not register this year,” Deputy Director of Finance in charge of TV License, Pastor Emmanuel Botwi, hinted this paper.
He explained that even though implementation took off in the third quarter of the year, the payment cannot be prorated and therefore all categories of TV set owners are expected to pay to cover 2015.
Parliament recently approved increases in the controversial TV license fee for the various user categories to be collected by GBC to fund its operations.
Per the new tariffs, domestic users are required to pay an annual fee of GH₵36 per a TV set and GH ₵600 for two or more sets, whiles commercial TV users like hotels, restaurants, bars, etc., are to pay GH₵36 per set, per annum or GH₵3.00 per set per month.
TV dealers categorised as repairers on one side and retailers and sales outlets on the other side are to pay GH₵60 and GH₵240 per annum respectively.
Speaking to Today in Accra over the weekend, Pastor Botwi stated that members of the general public can make payments at designated pay points set up by GBC which include the various post offices, some selected banks and all GBC outlets in the county.
Pastor Botwi, who expressed delight at the positive public response since the process begun, said the registration is electronically enabled (E-transact) which can be done through any of the fourteen (14) E-transact bank members.
He said his outfit has also created an online platform- www.tvlicence.com.gh– which also allows self registration for the licence.
He said about 165 post offices across the country can also register and accept payment using the electronic system whiles the remaining 201 post offices do manual registration and payment processing.
He further explained that the online registration simply requires one to enter personal details like name, address, telephone number and email address, and soon after, a unique identification number is generated and instantly delivered to the phone of the person registering in a form of a text message.
“An email is also delivered to the person and it is this unique code number which is used when making the payment for the TV license,” he stated.
Pastor Botwi said a person’s details will be captured in GBC’s data base as soon they are registered.
He emphasised that to allow for transparency and accountability, the pay system has been interfaced in such a manner that any payment made or registration can be tracked at the GBC’s finance department, saying “it is a very efficient system.”
He revealed that other forms of payments like mobile money and electronic card payment would be rolled out very soon so that one does not have to walk to a bank or designated point to pay.
“And as soon as you pay you will have an electronic TV license mailed to you as well,” he added.
He said people should ensure that they use their regular phone numbers when registering since the process does not allow multiple registrations.
Pastor Botwi stressed that GBC has not authorised any agent to collect TV license fee on its behalf yet.
“Therefore people in their homes should not expect anybody who comes in and says that he is collecting TV license,” he averred.
He said agents are likely to be engaged from October 2015 onwards.
The deputy director of finance intimated that TV license team would be moving from institutions, religious organisations and businesses to register them.
He said they were also ready to move to any institution that would invite them to come and register its workers.
Some have questioned the wisdom in imposing the controversial TV license fee but Pastor Ebenezer Botwi averred that the fee would go a long way to reduce government subventions to GBC.
According to him, GBC urgently needs funds to maintain, rehabilitate, replace and also purchase equipments for its operations.
He said for instance GBC’s digital platform in the Ashanti region is currently not functioning due to the Corporation’s indebtedness to the electricity company of Ghana.
Such situation could be averted if GBC was well resourced financially, he noted, adding if the entity was well funded it would put it in a position to churn out quality programming, promote and maintain the Ghanaian culture as well as market the country to the outside world.
“Some private TV stations do not have digital terrestrial television platform and therefore are relying on GTV for that service. If there is any equipment failure today, those stations will go off.”
Pastor Botwi disclosed this whiles underscoring the need to pay the licence fee saying, it is even in the interest of private broadcaster that GBC is properly resourced.
Last week Monday a High Court in Accra dismissed an order for Interlocutory injunction brought by former Chief Executive of the Volta River Authority, Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobby, seeking to restrain GBC from collecting TV licence fees.
The court, however, gave the state broadcaster the clearance to collect the fees but ordered it to refrain from sharing the proceeds with any other entity.
The GBC had earlier agreed to share the TV license fee with Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) among others but Dr. Wereko Brobbey contended that GBC could not share any money received by it with any other entity whether private or state owned as same as ought to be deposited in its bank accounts.
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