Broadcasting contribution: ÖRR contribution service makes great data comparison

Soon the fourth reporting data comparison of the broadcasting contribution will start. Then resident registration offices transmit data to the contribution service of ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio. It is about to identify previously unrecognized contributory apartments, so the contribution service. The legal requirement is that, in principle, a reporting data reconciliation takes place every four years. The sending of all clarification letters should be finished by the end of next year at the latest. However, until all processes are completed, it will probably take until the end of 2028. The reconciliation “makes an important contribution to fair contributions,” it said. It ensures that all payers participate equally in the financing of public service broadcasting. For the period from 9 November to 8 November In December, the reporting data of all adults reported would be transmitted in several instalments. If a person is not directly assigned to an apartment from the portfolio of the contribution service, they are asked whether the apartment has already been paid for the broadcasting fee. A previously not covered apartment could also be registered. Those who do not respond to the letter are automatically registered for the broadcasting contribution. Even after a direct registration, it is still possible to inform that the apartment is already paid for. Likewise, an exemption from payment obligation or a reduction can be requested. The three previous nationwide reporting data comparisons were in 2013, 2018 and 2022. The contribution service continues to consider the instrument necessary: this is the only way to ensure an up-to-date database. The automatic reporting of residents’ registration offices on removals or deaths and other survey options was not sufficient to record all contributing apartments reliably. The legal basis for comparing the reporting data is the Broadcasting Contribution Treaty. In 2020, the federal states anchored that this comparison will take place every four years from 2022. It can only be omitted if, for the purpose of determining the financial needs of broadcasters (KEF), the Commission declares that the database is still up-to-date. In its latest report, the KEF considers the 2026 reconciliation to be necessary, as the database of the contribution service regularly deteriorates over the years.