The Sveriges Television dilemma
Will the TV licence be replaced by the model which in 2008 is to be introduced in Iceland and which is called a poll tax (namely, a tax payment from each individual viewer, an individually based fee which can be adjusted by the finance minister)? A tax of this kind would be advantageous to the changeable needs of the national budget, but disadvantageous for the long-term planning of public service companies. It would also involve a more direct political dependence and inevitably influence public service activity. As regards the future of the public services, it is possible even now to identify an internal threat. This is to be found in the fact that SVT, like Swedish Radio, risks undermining its legitimacy—access for all—through its initiatives on the internet. These initiatives are regarded as self-evident for the survival of the business and not even the most explicit public service backbiters are attacking this obvious weakness.
Journalist och författare.