I'm in your same situation, so I agree with you

True, I also hate TV and on a separate note, billag.
For TV I don't think it's a waste of time, I know it's absolute shite to make people dumber than they probably are.


Ok we are clear then, of course a screen without tuner is not impacted.

My point was that almost every one is likely to get dumb tv thing from your laptop/computer, so I thought you ignored that and was mixing "tuner" vs "no tuner".

So it's just a communication mixed up, never been saying you "have to pay" but that I though you were focusing on "tuner"-

Did someone receive letter like this? I pay for radio license however I do not watch TV or listen to radio.

ihr beitrag an eine vielfältige radio und fernseh schweiz

Guten Tag xxx

haben sie letzthin auch ein spannendes finalspiel unterwegs auf ihrem tablet mitverfolgt? denken sie daran, dass auch der empfang von fernsehprogrammen - egal auf welchem gerät ( computer, tablet, mobiltelefon, tv usw.) diese gesehen werden - gebührenpflichtig ist.

als empfänger von radioprogrammen sind sie bereits registriet. herzlichen dank, denn ohne gebührenbeitrag sämtlicher empfänger von radio- und fernsehprogrammen ist in der schweiz eine vielfalt an regionalen und nationalen programmen nicht möglich.

gestützt auf das geltende radio- und fernsehgesetz (Zusammenfassung siehe briefrückseite) informieren wir sie, dass alle haushalte, welche entsprechende programme empfangen können, einen gebührenbeitrag leisten müssen. mit ihrem persönlichen beitrag helfen sie, den (service public) in sämtlichen sprachregionen und eine vielfältige auswahl an spannenden und informativen programmen zu erhalten.

bitte füllen sie das online-formular vollständig aus bis am xx.xx.xxxx. nutzen sie dazu ihren zugang unter www.billag.ch/kampagne. benutzen sie bitte auch dann die folgenden logindaten, wenn sie bereits ein webkonto bei uns eingerichtet haben.

bitte füllen sie das online-formular in jedem fall aus, auch wenn sie kein gerät besitzen, mit dem sie fernsehen können(computer, tablet, mobiltelefon, tv usw.).

herzlich danken wir bereits heute für ihre mithilfe und den beitrag an eine weiterhin vielfältige radio- und fernseh-schweiz.

freundliche grüsse
Billag AG

Google Translate:
Your contribution to achieving diversity radio and television Switzerland

Good day xxx

have they ultimately followed the road into an exciting final game on their tablet? aware of the fact that the receiving of television programs - no matter what device (computer, tablet mobile phone, tv, etc.) can be seen this - is chargeable.

as receiver of radio programs they are already Ltd. Registered. thank you very much, for without charge contribution of all receivers of radio and television programs in Switzerland is not possible a variety of regional and national programs.

Having regard to the existing radio and television law (see summary letter, back), we inform you that all households that appropriate programs can be received, must make a contribution of charge. with their personal contribution they help the (public service) to get into all spoke regions and a diverse selection of exciting and informative programs.

please fill in the online form completely up on xx.xx.xxxx. use them to their access under www.billag.ch / campaign. please use also the following login data, if they have already set up a register with us.

please fill in the online form in any case, even if it gets no possess, with which they can watch TV (computer, tablet, mobile phone, tv, etc.).

We sincerely thank today for their help and contributing to a further variety of radio-and TV-Switzerland.

best regards
collection agency entitled

Google Translate of the above text:

This seems to imply if you have a device that can stream TV, even if you don't actually do it, you have to pay. This contradicts info posted very recently in this thread.

Billag sends letter contrary to the Federal law shock.

They've not sent me one of those letters yet, but if they do and it's in German I'll just bin* it.

* I'll be a good citizen and recycle it; don't worry.

Now that I'm safely out of Switzerland I can confess to living in the country for four years and eight months without giving Billag a single dime. The "don't answer the door" policy works. At least it worked for me.

Not answering the door also saved me the hassle of telling door-to-door salepersons to beat it.

edit: yes I received official looking shite in the mailbox twice. Yes, I recycled it like a good and proper Swiss resident.

Sorry to continue this thread, and maybe my question will have already been answered ...

I got off the phone with a Billag rep who told me the following:

- Without a TV subscription one does not have to pay TV tax
- TV connected to computer and not used as a TV ... had no idea about that...

We want to cancel our TV subscription and use our TV as we have been using it - connected to the computer (the kids use it and we watch movies like this).

On the Billag website it says:

What is classified as a receiving device?

Receiving devices include the following:

• radios (including car radios), mobile phones with radio reception and computers (including tablets) with internet access
• televisions, mobile phones with television reception and computers (including tablets) with internet access, if you have an account (including free accounts) with an internet television provider

"if you have an account (including free accounts) with an internet television provider"


It does not mention what KIND of account - is this an Internet or TV account!? (I can only assume it means TV subscription)

With the letter of the law, your TV is capable of receiving a TV signal therefore you need to pay Billag.

• You can either get rid of it and get a monitor instead.
• Rip out or make the TV's tuning part proven inoperable.
• Do nothing, as morally you're not actually watching TV *

* This is an unlawful option



Any TV service from the internet where you need to register, irrespective of whether they are free.

For example, Zattoo.

I just had a friend call Billag up and this is what the feedback was:

That's interesting. I'm not saying the Billag person (or the message as repeated by your friend is wrong), but the Billag website states that a receiving device includes a TV.

I may contact them as well to clarify as well.

Yes, it does include a TV but perhaps only if you have an actual account with a TV provider ... ("if you have an account (including free accounts) with an internet television provider")!?

I think this has been discussed ad nauseam by now.

1. If your TV isn't used to receive live broadcasts and can't easily be used to do so it won't count as a device. However if it has a built-in cable tuner and you have cablecom all that's missing is a cable... so it will count.
2. By "account with an internet TV provider" something like Zattoo is meant. Not an account with a provider who also offers TV services....

A Billag guy just rang our doorbell a few minutes ago and it took me a while to recognize him. He started talking in Deutsch, I started answering in English. He got bored and said "Auf Wiedersehen!" Whew! He's definitely gonna come back...but hopefully not too soon though.

My experience is that they knocked on my door one day, I gave them my details and they started sending me bills thereafter. They didn't ask when I had moved in and didn't try to backdate the bills, which was quite reasonable.

i was visited by one of Billag's henchman a little while ago in my old place in Zurich. unfortunately i let the guy in. we had an interesting discussion. i did not own a television and did not have a connection to any swisscom / cablecom / any other kind of com. i had been living in the apartment for years by that time, and had never subscribed to the Billag tax. this guy then politely explained to me that if i have an internet connection, whether that be via a modem in the flat or even just on my smartphone then i have the ability to receive television and radio content and therefore i need to pay. i was then thinking the guy is going to try and hit me with some backdated nonsense for all the years i have not been paying in to Billag, but he politely informed me that if i completed the online registration thingy and put in a start date for the beginning of the month we were in then everything would be fine and i would just pay the current subscription. i did just this and i then receive the bill for that year only. which was a relief as i have heard some pretty horrendous stories about people being fined 000's for accidentally on purpose forgetting to pay this tax.
i believe what triggered the visit to my flat was the recent change in the law allowing Billag to collect from people without televisions. there was a team of them at our block, and it looked to me as though they were targeting the flats that had not subscribed (i say this because it was clear they were not knocking on all doors).
of course, if i had never answered the door to him in the first place then maybe today i would still not be paying. who knows.
i think the fact is though, these days, it is almost impossible not to be liable for this tax.

Don't forget the freepost return envelope is a useful way to dispose of unwanted bits and pieces such as, for example the talcum powder that our dear grand aunt, Anne Thrax, left lying around.

Mine actually speaks English but I usefully discovered he doesn't speak Welsh.

On the other hand he hasn't yet worked out that I don't either.

It always pays to be ahead one step.

I actually phoned Cablecom to have this verified independently and they guy said, when they call just don't open the door.

There's official advice from Cablecom for you.

BTW, I'm not a Cablecom client.

hello! regarding billag, even though i don't have a tv, i do have the internet. i am not signed up to any tv channel online so it's not a 'receiving device'. billag say that's fair enough, and i will not therefore pay tv reception fees, but they do say i must pay for radio reception, and that everyone who has internet must pay radio reception. presumably they're correct but i always prefer to consult my counsel of advisors before signing anything. that's you guys by the way. are they correct?

Thanks for the reminder for me to pay my Billag!