The GBC recently enrolled a short code for the payment of the TV License and most Ghanaians are in doubt as to why they should pay and what exactly is the relevance.
Prof. Amin Alhassan, the Director General of Ghana Broadcasting Cooperation (GBC), shed more light on the payment and relevance of TV license in Ghana in an interview with Kafui Dey on GBC.
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Relevance of TV license in Ghana
Prof. Alhassan mentioned that it is called TV license, not because you watch GTV and made clear that the name is a misleading term. The actual name of the license, TV license is Public Media Tax.
He explained that some countries have changed the name to public media tax to reflect what it’s supposed to do. When the British were discussing how to fund public service broadcasting, the most important piece of media technology was TV, so they called it TV license and passed the law.
In Ghana’s law, the GBC Act 1968, it is radio and TV receiving set license. Because in 1968, the most important media technology in Ghana was TV and the idea was to find a way to generate revenue, like how you must pay streetlight tax.
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He also reiterated that in the case of broadcasting, those who find themselves in Accra, Kumasi, Tamale, Takoradi are lucky to be in cities. “However, our compatriots who are in remote parts of the country, who must necessarily live there and do what they can do, how can we be sure that they are part of us so that we have common identity? There are certain parts of the country where it is either GBC channels or nothing at all.” Professor Alhassan explained further.
He added that if Ghanaians feel that funding that aspect of our national life is not important, we should wait until conflict starts in these areas. “Most areas where there is ethnic conflict that is difficult to bring down, check the media systems in these areas. Anywhere you have radio and television. they must sit and vent out and share ideas.” he added.
To ensure that in remote areas, in areas that are not likely to be in cities get access to the media, part of the Public Media Tax in Ghana, normally called TV licenses, are used to ensure that all these parts of the country have good media so that when parliament passes a law today and it is assented by the president into law, within 24 hours, we must tell them in the language they understand that their country, Ghana, has passed a new law and it is like this and this is how it affects them.
He acknowledged the big role private media plays in information dissemination but also said the private media only normally operates in areas where they can make profits.
The GBC is thus urging all Ghanaians to pay their Public Media tax to ensure the continuous dissemination of information especially to the remote areas.
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How to Pay the TV License
To pay your TV license or Public Media Tax, simply dial the short code *447*333# and follow the prompt.
Pay an amount of Ghc36.00 if you own just one TV set in your household and pay Ghc60.00 if you two or more TV sets for 1 year.
