It is 1.-franc per day now....365.- a year, you could spend one franc a day worse than that.

Lets not get disingenuous by breaking it down into a daily cost to make it seem less. The fact is that I could spend 365chf per year FAR better than that on things I actually use. The cost of Serafe is outrageous and this opinion is clearly popular from the many discussions online.

It's an archaic model that needs to change to reflect the new ways of consuming media, which for millions does not involve terrestrial TV or radio. I don't care if older people benefit from it, I don't want to be paying such high costs per year to subsidise things like that. 100chf would be acceptable... close to 400chf is certainly not.

And why should I subsidise spending on the military? I‘m sure operating an anti-tank missile launcher isn’t that difficult.

I am not sure if they can put a horses head in your bed or make you sleep with the fish but it is an offer that you cannot refuse.

Shows the importance of the over 60 vote in Swiss politics.

I recommend that you join the Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail and Daily Express groups who are intent upon 'defunding the BBC' - the music sounds the same. Their message being 'no-one listens or views the BBC' (while millions tune in every day).


We did after all vote to keep the annual charge (reduced) to ensure we won't be overridden by bangbang.

I DEMAND the tax payer pay for my Netflix. I've been enjoying it for years and it's got no adverts and high quality educational programs in multiple languages. Anything else is a far-right conspiracy.

Apart from glances at my parents house I haven't watched TV for a decade. It's antiquated.

Personally I think SRF4 is worth the cost in itself - a few hours at the weekend with it on in the background is great for my German; I even find myself understanding some of the local reports in Schweizerdeutsch!

Like Sunday trading it shows there's a limit to the usually robust Swiss common sense. They are against all change, good or bad.

Like Appennzell giving women the vote change is inevitably coming it's just a matter of when.

Viewing figures are falling.

In 1970 the most viewed program was watched by 28.7 million. More than half the population. Today that figure is more like a quarter most years. TV can probably stagger on for a bit but it's days are numbered.

Congratulations. SRF4 is a really good way of helping you understand not just German but also the Swiss political system. Now try moving on to SRF1 local news for your area. If you can understand any of that then you are really progressing. Local TV stations such as tele Züri or Tele basel are also very good.

Hey guy, if that's your argument, go scream at your health insurance and your pension fund. You're paying a lot more than 365/year to subsidise lots of things there too. In any case, like it or not, the law is the law and it has come democratically.

If you think your opinion is so popular, get an initiative together and try changing it.

Everybody has to live with things they don't like or even approve. It's called living in a society...

My main objection to the radio/TV tax is that it is paid to a private company. I'd have no problem with it if I paid it directly to the government as a line item on my tax return.

Under the old rules (with Billag) I didn't have to pay the TV tax because we do not have a television, nor did I subscribe to an internet streaming service. I paid the radio portion, obviously, because I listen to radio.

All that changed with Serafe. Under the new regs almost everyone has to pay, so now I dutifully pay my CHF 365. But grudgingly.


Irony: Because I now had no option but to pay the tax, I thought I might as well get something out of it. So we signed up for Netflix.

And then after a few months remembered why we got rid of television 20 plus years ago: suddenly OH and I barely spoke to each other in the evenings, we too often ended up just scrolling through the endless list of mind-numbingly bad programs looking for something worth watching.

Life is too short. We ditched Netflix, started talking to one another again, and now just grumble as we pay Serafe for nothing.

So you are suggesting that the Swiss population, in 1970*, was approximately 50 -52 million!

Where did everyone go?

P.S. The Swiss statistic office estimates it was 6.2 million in 1971.

And no car with a radio in? I would love to have a track focused Porsche or Ferrari with the radio removed.

There's a difference between funding the education of children, and helping the poor afford healthcare and paying for other people to watch TV.

You are right it's part of life to live with things you don't like, but it's not like people don't have the right to moan about it.

The person I was talking to was talking about the BBC - im sure the same is true of Switzerland though.

Hey guy, you chose a bad example there because health insurance is something I actively use and is directly relevant to my and everyone elses's health... whereas Swiss radio and terrestrial TV I do not use and has no relevance to me whatsoever. I may have to pay it, but I also have a right to complain vocally and at length about it.

As I said and as you conveniently ignored, I WOULD be willing to pay a contribution of 100 or even 150chf... but paying almost 400chf per year is an absolute joke.

Yup, Billag was one thing and more tolerable as it had some flexibility and lower costs, but Serafe has taken it into overdrive. Judging from the amount of pushback I have read online, I have a feeling the current system won't last so long.

At times of billag, there were 2 possibilities, you got Tv or not, now under serafe, there is only one possibility, got access or not .
So , it will be around 360 sfr per year,billag without tv was around 166 sfr.

If you want to avoid serafe, you need to proof, that you don't own a mobile, car and have your connection points sealed.
Otherwise , you have to pay .....

Well, here is a glimmer of good news guys... the price is being reduced starting in 2021 from 365chf to 335chf. https://www.serafe.ch/en/

That almost pays for my vignette.