Harsh voices are raised, and this subject raises pulses to the point that you wish you were an Italian--one used to excepting the fact that you must pay a tax on your TV. Even if it's a piece of furniture that you owned for the past 5 years. I, as an American will not hear of it, I refuse to pay this uneeded insane tax of greed on the part of the State of Italy. I wonder if I invented my own TV and it worked, if I would be summoned to pay this absurd tax. It's not just Italy though, even in the UK they pay, and if you don't-- it's even worse, the Tv Tax hunting vans track you down, and you may even serve a jail sentence for not paying your TV tax.

For this reason I have no television in my house. First of all because I believe italian tv is fake and annoying and second there are 6 reality show in prime time on 7 days per week.
The remaining day is for soccer :-(

In Italy you have to pay tv tax for public service but in public service there are many commercial too. For this reason I don't want to pay this absurd tax anymore.

Do you know that if you have no tv you have to pay for your radio anyway?

Ciao Sapore di sale

Wow... I had no idea of this tax! What is the reasoning...? And the radio? No wonder the people I've stayed with have had no TVs!

And the image of the TV Tax Hunting Vans won't leave my mind now....

Teresa

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Yes, teresa these vans will hunt you down according to some code on your TV, then sit by your home and detect if you are using it. Talk about violations of privacy! With satelite they probably watch us in the shower!

What about radio tax....I never.... if that is what it comes to, they can keep them all...I do not ever watch tv, so I dont care, but the radio sometimes for classical music when Im cooking...I just turn it off when the commericials arrive.

I bet if you have no TV, and they get you for the radio, and you dont have one of those either---that they may tax you on your computer or for every DVD you have in your home.

Wow jacqueline! You listen classica when you cook? you really have style ;-)
I love classical and i adore cooking!
About tax problem don't worried. You have to pay for tv tax and only if you have no tv you have to pay for radio (jacqqueline is right maybe if have no radio you have to pay for your computer cause your computer is a media and you can listen music and watch tv too, but i'm not sure). To check if you pay tv tax they can come to your house and ask going in but you don't have to do that if you don't want ;-)

ciao

I've never heard about the "Tv Tax hunting vans".....maybe because they do not exist!

Giogiogio

Giorgio --I do appreciate others opinions, but to a point. You have absolutely no basis for what you are speaking. The vans exist--- go do a search on the net....everything you'll find at your fingertips! If you watch any practical programs in Italy 'Mi Manda Rai 3' had a show on the Television Tax 6 months prior--and in fact the companies sent out TV people to inspect homes, and businesses-- if they suspected that someone was in violation to paying these taxes they would file a complaint and sue you---There was a huge controversal issue on this. Please have a source to your arguments, thank you.

LEGGI my friend:http://www.turnoffyourtv.com/international/bbc.html

Dear Giogiogio,

Probably not the hunting vans ("Triangolazione", but they get you if you have a CB apparatus and you screw around with it). Regarding the TV sets (wich its now a "tassa di proprieta'" or owner's tax) they send "RAI inspectors" (or at least used to). They can only get in your house with a "mandato" or a warrent if they don't have it you can send them to hell!!
No wonder a few people in Italy pay the TV tax. Watch the "isola dei famosi" (another of those sit-in programs made for morons at the tax payers expenses) or some other crap like this then barf!!
Michael

Does anyone know why the TVs and radios are taxed? I mean, what the government's reason is? And is it a yearly fee? Does it depend on what you watch... ?

Classical music is wonderful, and cooking to it would be fun but I imagine you'd have to make sure to have the right music for the right food. Can you imagine what would happen if you tried to cook spaghetti while listening to Wagner??? Or if you were drinking wine while cooking spaghetti and listening to Wagner... that would be even scarier!

Teresa

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You listen to Wagner on the radio: you're taxed.
Have your glass of wine: its taxed.
Wanna come out to dinner with me??... we're taxed!!