QUICK READ

THE governing party has vowed to scrap the embattled public broadcaster’s contentious TV licence fee and replace it with a hefty tax.

This is according to Communications Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, who addressed the media in her capacity as a member of the ANC. She provided feedback on the ANC’S national policy conference which took place last weekend.

“The TV licence arrangement is not working, it is actually impacting on the SABC’S ability to survive,” said Ntshaveni, adding that the public broadcaster must be strengthened.

“The SABC has both a commercial mandate and a public mandate. In the public mandate, we want the SABC to be funded from the national fiscus, but we are also proposing a household levy.”

The SABC had earlier recommended that a levy be charged on all households based on the possibility of access to its services, rather than the actual use of its services.

In its annual performance plan, published in May, the broadcaster outlined its plans to introduce a new tax to replace the TV licence fee. | IOL