South Africans who no longer own a TV or have emigrated can cancel their TV licences and save R265 per year. However, it is not easy to do so and can come with additional costs.
The Broadcasting Act determines that you no longer require a TV licence if you sell or dispose of your TV. In addition, if you don’t reside in South Africa or will not be using a TV in the country for a year, you are not required to pay the fee.
According to an FAQ on the SABC’s website, the process for cancelling a TV licence is fairly straightforward.
“When one has sold or otherwise disposed of one’s television set(s) a TV licence is no longer required,” it states.
“The SABC must be notified on a prescribed form (affidavit) of the changed circumstances. No licence is cancelled while moneys are still outstanding on an account.”
However, several expats and people who study abroad for an extended period have struggled to cancel their TV licences.
Among them was a Reddit user who complained they had sent an email to tvlicinfo@sabc.co.za declaring that they no longer had a TV set and requesting a TV licence cancellation but had not received a response in months.
“I also tried phoning, but the phone rang until I ran out of airtime,” they said.
After their next licence payment became due, the user received an email response with an attached pro forma affidavit that they needed to fill out.
The SABC also explained the conditions for cancelling a TV licence for emigrants and people moving abroad for over a year.
“If exemption from payment of TV licence fees is requested based on an extended sojourn abroad (12 months or more), proof thereof is required by way of substantiating travel documents,” the email said.
These documents can include a copy of a stamped passport reflecting the exit date from South Africa or a visa, work permit, contract, or utility bill.
If the user takes their TV along, they must provide documentary proof in the form of a copy of the shipping documents or manifest of the furniture removals or shipping company handling the transportation of goods to the destination abroad.
If the person gave away, donated, or sold the TV or TVs to someone in South Africa, the SABC must have that owner’s particulars. If they choose to store their TV set, it must be on the premises of a removal or storage company.
“In that case, confirmation (specifying the storage period) is required by way of a letter/invoice/receipt of the company concerned,” the SABC said. “Storage in one’s garage or storeroom or with parents or friends does not qualify for such exemption.”
“Should no such prescribed documentation be provided to the SABC, an account will not be closed and, should a license holder return to South Africa at a later stage, his/her television licence would have remained active and would reflect a substantial overdue balance,” the SABC said.
More recently, Daily Maverick veteran journalist Marianne Merten tried to cancel her TV licence as she was set to study abroad. She received a response similar to that of a Reddit user.
Merten believed that the SABC’s warning of a “substantial overdue balance” accruing while she was overseas insinuated the broadcaster would blacklist her.
The good news for those who have not cancelled their TV licences and have left the country permanently or for a prolonged period is that this is unlikely.
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) previously explained that the SABC would need to get a court order against a defaulter to have them blacklisted.
“The only way anything can have a bearing on your credit, in this instance, is if the SABC go to court and get an order,” explained Outa accountability executive Stefanie Fick.
That would require a formal court summons against the defaulter.
Another option to rid yourself of the obligation to pay for a TV licence is to have the TV’s built-in signal tuning hardware removed.
To apply for this type of exemption, the SABC must receive written notice of the removal and documentary proof in the form of a letter, invoice, or receipt from a reputable TV repairer or installer.
In addition, you are required to pay R300 with an exemption application for an agent to inspect your TV set.
“On receipt of confirmation from the agent that the applicant has no television receiving equipment, including a TV set, VCR, or PC fitted with a tuner card in their possession, they will be exempted from payment of licence fees for the rest of the current licensing period,” the SABC explains.
However, if you want to remain exempted from paying the licence after one year, you have to submit an affidavit three months before the end of your licence year.
If an authorised inspector visits an exempted licence holder’s premises and finds that the receiving capability of their TV equipment was restored, they become liable for payment of all applicable licence fees and penalties, as well as another R300 inspection fee.
Source
mybroadband.co.za
