I'm in agreement with the TV stations, and this is why. Before I had satellite installed I had 'peasant tv'. With a roofmount antenna I got 7 channels for free.
Now, with satellite, which is owned by Shaw, I still get the same seven channels,
but now I am being charged a monthly fee for them, as the only way I can get these channels is as part of a 'basic package'.Of course I have added on a lot of extra channels as well, to the tune of about a hundred bucks per month.
Let's not get into who is or is not 'making billions of dollars per year' off us, This is about the principle alone. The tv stations sell their advertising in order to stay on the air and provide programs. Along come the 'cable companies,
pirate the signal, and then
sell it to consumers. The cable/sat companies don't pay any of that money to the tv stations. This clearly is wrong. If we 'pirate' a cable or satellite signal, we are in deep shit! So why should cable/sat companies be exempt?
http://localtvmatters.ca/the-facts/N October 7, 2009 at 4:30 pm
Opposing argument: Is this “TV tax” a bogus cash grab?
By Marc SaltzmanComments (32) Sync believes in examining an issue from both sides. In case you haven’t been following this “Stop the TV tax” campaign, we’ve heard from Rogers on behalf of the TV providers, but now it’s time to chat with CBC on behalf of Canadian broadcasters. Who’s right? Have your say.
In case you missed Sync’s “5 Questions” with Rogers’ Jan Innes, about the aggressive Stop the TX tax campaign, not everyone is buying the message. Sync caught up with Jeff Keay, head of media relations for the CBC, and vocal opponent to this campaign, to talk about what’s happening from his perspective. What’s your take?
Sync: What is this proposed “TV tax” all about. And is it a “tax”?
Jeff Keay: It isn’t a tax at all. It’s a threat by the cable and satellite distributors to charge customers twice for something they’ve already paid for through their basic service fee — the signals from conventional broadcasters. The cable and satellite distributors get these signals from us for free while they pay for the specialty and American channels. We don’t think that makes sense. Nor do we think they should be allowed to charge Canadians extra, given their already massive profits.
Sync: TV providers like Rogers and Bell are publicly opposed to this “TV tax.” Why? Do you believe they have an ulterior motive?
Keay: Nothing ulterior about it. Paying for TV signals is a cost of doing business for cable and satellite companies. Except for ours. Right now, they get our signals for free. We don’t think that’s fair, especially since we’re the ones who provide the majority of Canadian content and local programming. And because their customers already pay for basic service (i.e. our signals), we don’t think they should be allowed to impose an extra fee on Canadians. They’re trying to increase their profits, plain and simple. Distributors have increased fees by four times the cost of living since rates were deregulated. in the absence of real competition, consumers need to be protected. Or regardless of what happens to broadcasters, they’ll continue to be gouged.
Sync: Why do TV stations like the CBC, which is already funded by tax dollars, want more money?
Keay: While it’s true CBC/Radio-Canada receives a public subsidy, it’s among the smallest per capita in the industrialized world and has been declining due to inflation for nearly 20 years. At the same time, advertising revenues have declined with the introduction of scores of new specialty channels. The old economic model is broken and needs to be updated. We need to be treated as equals with all the other channels and we don’t think Canadians should be double-charged by their cable or satellite company.
Sync: What is the biggest public misconception about this “TV tax” Rogers, Bell and others are complaining about?
Keay: That it’s a tax. It isn’t. It’s a threat. And if it’s imposed on Canadians, it will be a rip off.
Sync: If a TV-loving Canadian agrees with your opinions, on behalf of the CBC, what can they do about it? Is there a site to counter stopthetvtax.ca?
Keay: We urge Canadians to go to localtvmatters.ca, where they can find out how to make their views known to the CRTC and the government. We want Canadians to get involved in this crucially important issue. The future of local TV and the long term health of Canadian programming depend on it.
Here’s the original 5 Questions with Rogers, on behalf of the Stop the TV Tax consortium.
Where do you stand on the issue?
Filed Under: Current Affairs > In The News
Now the other side of the argument:
Don't Tax My TV!
For a number of years, broadcasters – specifically CTV, Global and CBC – have been asking the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to tax cable and satellite customers for receiving over-the-air television stations.
This new tax is called fee-for-carriage and Shaw is working hard to fight it.
You spoke, and they heard!
Thanks to the thousands of consumer letters sent to the CRTC protesting the new tax, the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, announced that the CRTC has been directed to consider consumer interests.
Minister Moore stated that in this “period of unprecedented change” in Canada's communications environment, the CRTC and the entire broadcasting industry must “look to the future, to find innovative solutions, always with the consumer in mind."
“You can dress this up anyway you like, but the so called fee-for-carriage is a tax on TV viewers with absolutely no benefit,” said Jim Shaw, CEO and Vice-Chairman of Shaw. “We applaud Minister Moore for directing the CRTC to put affordability and the needs of consumers first.”
Read more about Minister Moore's announcement.
Hearings on the matter are scheduled for November 16, 2009, and December 7, 2009.
It’s not over yet!
The CRTC has already introduced a tax in the form of a 1.5% levy called the Local Programming Improvement Fund (LPIF). There is still a chance the fee-for-carriage tax could be implemented.
Before November 2, 2009, write a letter to Minister Moore, your MP and the CRTC, telling them to support Canadian consumers and kill the proposed tax:
Dites non à la taxe sur la télé. Demandez à votre député de
ne pas taxer votre télé.
Broadcasters want you to pay more!
Learn all about LPIF and the proposed fee-for carriage tax.
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