Plan to charge SA Netflix users TV licence fees is based on "good principle" - Expert

[Juice]

This whole thing makes me nauseous. This feels like it has nothing to do with "funding a public broadcaster", but rather "bailing out another SoE" that dug its own grave with the shovel of corruption and mismanagement. Now the good citizens of the country have to suffer yet another layer of taxes to help the SABC be "commercially competitive". WHAT BUSINESS DOES A PUBLIC BROADCASTER THAT RELIES ON PUBLIC FUNDING HAVE BEING COMMERCIALLY COMPETITIVE??? It's the fundamental flaw in the whole plan. If the SABC wants to compete commercially, then it should operate as a fully autonomous and independent business that is self-funded and operates with a profit motive. If it is going to continue to be funded by public money (i.e. taxes, such as the fiscus and TV licenses), then it HAS NO BUSINESS TRYING TO COMPETE COMMERCIALLY. Public funding of a commercial profit-making business should be mutually exclusive concepts, because the public funding grants the SABC an immediate and unfair advantage over actual commercial entities who raise their OWN funding. I am appalled at the naked stupidity of representatives of SANEF that they would even suggest otherwise.

 

[ProfA]

The article title, the short synopsis and the actual article do not align with each other....

Such is the exact requirements of "staff writers" lest they be considered principled and professional.

 

[Zukat]

“If you underfund the SABC you underfund democracy because you underfund the ability to hold power accountable and help citizens to make informed choices at the ballot box.”

How is watching ANC propaganda machine will help masses make an informed choice?

 

[system32]

This is a repeat, just like TFA.

The interesting part is at 5:00 onward, wait for it, wait for it...

 

[Fjorko]

TSEK !!!!

 

[Milano]

This license fee should be paid by the taxi industry. All commuters must pay an extra randella per ride. Then simply collect it from the mostly peaceful taxi industry. It's the right thing to do.

 

[Herr der Verboten]

There's that word again ( used a lot in Covid-land ) ..... Expert.

It's the internet. Everybody has street cred and is an expert. Until they realize they have been used (or outside of context) without permission. I suppose we could all start contacting them and persue.

 

[Herr der Verboten]

This license fee should be paid by the taxi industry. All commuters must pay an extra randella per ride. Then simply collect it from the mostly peaceful taxi industry. It's the right thing to do.

Policing and taxing the taxis is an apartheid thing. We can't have that

 

[Milano]

Policing and taxing the taxis is an apartheid thing. We can't have that

Aaah. Well we could just tax the privileged commuters. You know those that the SABC spends billions making shows for.

 

[Cpt12345@2020]

TV licence are essential in my opinion. However it primary function is network spectrum and frequency development not the SABC. However in stating that the budget is not ring fence. I think with the new proposal that all funds be ring fence to the SABC core functions
1. News
2. Only National Sports
3. Education for kids and about govt services.

The rest of the entertainment is not required and serves no purpose let the other media giants fill the market which will bring down prices and most importantly SABC does it main mandate informing the nation. Which in turn will reduce prices.

So cut down the tv channels and focus on core mandate news, sport for national team and education. That's its. TV 3 can definitely go. TV 1 sports and news and tv2 education?

 

[Juice]

The rest of the entertainment is not required and serves no purpose let the other media giants fill the market which will bring down prices and most importantly SABC does it main mandate informing the nation. Which in turn will reduce prices.

So cut down the tv channels and focus on core mandate news, sport for national team and education. That's its. TV 3 can definitely go. TV 1 sports and news and tv2 education?

I don't agree with this part. Regardless of what the SABC has become, it did offer an opportunity for aspiring artists to enter the industry. Cutting back the local 'entertainment' industry to DSTV, eTV and Netflix only will hurt the local film industry at large. The SABC was (is?) by far the largest producer of local entertainment content, and in particular with a focus on all of our regional languages and cultures. No other provider, with purely commercial motives, will fill this breach. The SABC provides a bottom-of-the-pyramid entry-point for artists of all disciplines. Removing it entirely will hurt the local industry and a lot of people who are not themselves the SABC.

 

[RyanPCMR]

Okay, here are my thoughts on this news article:

“If you underfund the SABC you underfund democracy because you underfund the ability to hold power accountable and help citizens to make informed choices at the ballot box.”

Well...now I have heard it all, and what a joke of a statement from people who act as if they have not been staying here in SA and have never witnessed the opposite of what they are saying. Where they see "democracy", I see a socialistic type of system of favoritism that could end up rivalling the former Apartheid system in SA if left to proceed unchecked in the near future. Maybe they are too privileged to really see what a mess we find ourselves with the level of corruption and favoritism in ANC Government. It is as if the people making these comments have a vested (money) interest in keeping the status quo where ANC Government basically does what they want to do with zero consequences bcs the people who could've made a difference has money on their minds.

 

[Milano]

TV licence are essential in my opinion. However it primary function is network spectrum and frequency development not the SABC. However in stating that the budget is not ring fence. I think with the new proposal that all funds be ring fence to the SABC core functions
1. News
2. Only National Sports
3. Education for kids and about govt services.

The rest of the entertainment is not required and serves no purpose let the other media giants fill the market which will bring down prices and most importantly SABC does it main mandate informing the nation. Which in turn will reduce prices.

So cut down the tv channels and focus on core mandate news, sport for national team and education. That's its. TV 3 can definitely go. TV 1 sports and news and tv2 education?

Agreed. It is simple economics. If your country has such high levels of corruption that it cannot be afforded then you reduce it to a service that can be afforded.

 

[TelkomUseless]

News? The SABC? News? Its a propaganda mouth piece.

Whole SABC is ANC propaganda...

 

[Sarg3_ZN]

 

[jbroo]

"If you underfund the SABC you underfund democracy because you underfund the ability to hold power accountable and help citizens to make informed choices at the ballot box.”

Well, yes, that would be true if the SABC were truly impartial and not heavily under ANC control. In the circumstances, we would actually be funding ANC propaganda.

This seems to be lost on this "expert".

 

[Corelli]

Dear useless government. We are one of the top personal taxed countries in the world, with almost no and I mean no actual benefit for the taxes we pay.

In other countries, you get soo many discounts. ie Singapore has an income tax rate of 22 percent, and if you are a citizen, you really dont need a visa for other countries, you can purchase a property and only have to pay back the loan when you sell the property. (worked at ratio of 2.6% per annum - only payable once sold). You get schooling for your kids at $5 per month. (Yes from the world's top schools). And the list goes on and on.

We here pay 45% (Singapore 22%) tax, but wait then we have vat 15% (Singapore 7%), we have to pay 7% to purchase property (Singapore 1%), Tax on fuel here 32% (Singapore 24%), Pay school fees per kid $130 per month (Singapore $5). Then they also pay you for scrapping your car after a certain period (usually 7 years) to make sure that the cars are fuel efficient, and not as polluting. Their public transport is honestly the best in the world, so is their airline, and their airports. Singapore doesnt have to pay a TV license fee (unlike us).

Now here is the fun part. Singapore is rated the most expensive place in the world to live, but thats only because their wealth has grown so much that house prices has increased. They did collective wealth.

Here we are the most ripped off nation in the world. And with all corruption we will just keep getting worse and worse till something happens.....

The political might of the Western Cape decides to finally split off from the rest of South Africa, or the country folds and the so 8 million middle class leaves. This can happen extremely quickly. And when this happens there would be no recovery ever. It will be a failed state like so many others (Zimbabwe especially).

So rather than your higher and higher taxes, you can give the middle class a break. Or they will break and leave you and the country in total bankruptcy.

 

[j4ck455]

I am puzzled.

I am assuming that Netflix pays tax because I see a VAT charge on my invoice. Then a bunch of people are kicking up a fuss saying Netflix must pay more for streaming here. Then of course the money I pay Netflix with is already taxed. I also pay my TV licence (don't hate me - I am fighting an internal battle between sticking it to SABC and also not having to deal with lawyer ****).

So why must we now pay more? What about this scenario is a "good principle"? The whole system of money revolves around giving money to get something back, and in the case of SABC, we get nothing back. If they want the population to give away money they should make the SABC an NGO and payments to them should be classed as donations.

Netflix does charge VAT and that tax money goes into government coffers.

The bottom line is that Netflix currently does not broadcast SABC content, so there is no justification for forcing Netflix to become the SABC's TV licence collecting bitch.

If government singles out Netflix and forces Netflix to broadcast SABC content and collect TV licence fees, the result will be that people will switch to some other streaming service that the SABC has never heard of and is outside of government control.

People subscribe to Netflix because Netflix has content that is worth watching and paying for, the same cannot be said for the SABC which has crap content that is not worth watching and is only of interest to people that are addicted to government propaganda.

I don't agree with this part. Regardless of what the SABC has become, it did offer an opportunity for aspiring artists to enter the industry. Cutting back the local 'entertainment' industry to DSTV, eTV and Netflix only will hurt the local film industry at large. The SABC was (is?) by far the largest producer of local entertainment content, and in particular with a focus on all of our regional languages and cultures. No other provider, with purely commercial motives, will fill this breach. The SABC provides a bottom-of-the-pyramid entry-point for artists of all disciplines. Removing it entirely will hurt the local industry and a lot of people who are not themselves the SABC.

The local film industry and local artists are doomed if they continue to rely on the SABC for their survival, local artists should be negotiating with Netflix and others, Netflix already has locally relevant content.

 

[dualmeister]

Netflix does charge VAT and that tax money goes into government coffers.

The bottom line is that Netflix currently does not broadcast SABC content, so there is no justification for forcing Netflix to become the SABC's TV licence collecting bitch.

If government singles out Netflix and forces Netflix to broadcast SABC content and collect TV licence fees, the result will be that people will switch to some other streaming service that the SABC has never heard of and is outside of government control.

People subscribe to Netflix because Netflix has content that is worth watching and paying for, the same cannot be said for the SABC which has crap content that is not worth watching and is only of interest to people that are addicted to government propaganda.

The local film industry and local artists are doomed if they continue to rely on the SABC for their survival, local artists should be negotiating with Netflix and others, Netflix already has locally relevant content.

Didn't realize they had added to much SA stuff yet

 

[j4ck455]

Didn't realize they had added to much SA stuff yet

That link I posted seems to just search for anything (including stuff that isn't even vaguely related to South Africa), but it does have valid results as well. Netflix really needs to fix its search functionality.