[Winston Smith]

Zum Artikel in USA Today habe ich den Kommentar unten geschrieben. Es gibt einen andern Thread in Bezug auf den Artikel, aber ich konnte da leider nicht antworten.

USA Today: Auch Amerikaner interessieren sich dafür und schütteln mit dem Kopf
http://gez-boykott.de/Forum/index.php/topic,21369.0.html

USA Today: Auch Amerikaner interessieren sich dafür und schütteln mit dem Kopf
Germans risk fines and jail to protest public TV tax
Quelle: Patrick Costello, USA TODAY

Zitat:
»Broadcasters and their supporters say the contributions provide high-quality, independent journalism. "There's some political influence to be sure, but the broadcasting fees guarantee well-founded journalism, especially in this 'post-factual age,' where real journalism is sometimes competing with unfounded claims,"  said Karl Rieper, 28, a Berlin doctor.

Yet public outrage over what many consider a stealth tax is boiling over, opponents say. Dozens of lawsuits have been filed this year to contest the legality of the fee, and protests are routine in German cities.

"There is a lot of resistance to the GEZ in Berlin," said prominent opponent René Ketterer, owner of an IT software company in southern Germany, who is helping to plan a massive demonstration here next spring.

In a sign of growing resistance, Beitragsservice issued more than 25 million warnings to households last year for not paying the fee, a 20% increase over 2014, according to its latest figures. (...)«

Weiterlesen:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/12/17/germans-risk-fines-jail-protest-public-tv-tax/95338958/

Dazu möchte ich auch vorschlagen, dass es vielleicht nicht schlecht wäre, wenn das
gez-boykott Forum
http://gez-boykott.de/Forum
eine englischsprachige Rubrik mit wichtigen Informationen hätte.
Das würde vielleicht helfen, die Aufmerksamkeit der internationalen Medien zu erregen.

Dankeschön


Der Artikel:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/12/17/germans-risk-fines-jail-protest-public-tv-tax/95338958/


I am an American expat living in Germany, and I feel a need to comment here, as this article is seriously flawed, misleading, and serves to legitimize what is essentially extortion while downplaying the plight faced by German households by making it appear that Germans simply don't want to pay their taxes or are somehow not happy how their taxes are spent. This is not the case.

First of all this is a service fee and not a tax!!! That is so important that I will write it again: this is a service fee and not a tax!!! In German public-broadcaster-newspeak the fee is however referred to as a “contribution”.  Similar to PBS/NPR in the US, the German public broadcasters are not state run entities and are considered independent with one major difference:
Instead of politely asking for donations like PBS/NPR in the US, the “independent” German public broadcasters demand that each household pay a flat $20 monthly (€17.50 to be exact) service fee regardless of income* or number of residents.

In the US this fee would be the equivalent of PBS/NPR sending a bill for $20 to every single household with a mailbox regardless as to whether they have a TV or radio, already pay for cable, satellite, Internet or any other media delivery service. If a household then refuses to cough up the money to pay for PBS/NPR's services, then PBS/NPR would then turn the “debt” over to a government collection agency, with the ability to punish by garnishing property, income, and bank accounts as well as to arrest and imprison and otherwise ruin their lives.

Not only is this service fee not a “tax”, it is also not even backed by a specific law. Had this fee been a tax, implemented or backed by a law, then it would have been considered unconstitutional from the start. In March of 2016 it was even officially established in the German courts via extremely tenuous arguments that this service-fee is not a some kind of “stealth-tax”.

To get around this “problem”, in blatant violation of the principles of European contract law, a contract was drafted between the individual state governments and the broadcasters which states that the public broadcasters may fleece every household for a flat fee.

The article also talks about cases against the GEZ having lost in court. What the article fails to mention is the corruption surrounding many of the cases. Most cases are dismissed out of hand by judges before they even have a chance to go to trial. It also turns out that many those judges have sat on public broadcasters' boards and committees or have had other obvious conflicts of interest to the detriment of the plaintiffs.

The article fails to mention the important reason as to why Sieglinde Baumert was released after having spent 61 days in prison. Ms Baumert was immediately released at the request of her local public broadcaster in order to avoid embarrassment once her incarceration became public knowledge on the Internet. Currently there is a 70 year old gentleman named Reinhard Dowe who is undergoing a hunger strike and is on the brink of death, after having his pension seized on behalf of the GEZ. Just last week a nursing mother was put behind bars along with her infant child simply because she did not agree with having to pay for the unnecessary redundant service that she neither ordered, wanted, nor needed. The list goes on and on but, unsurprisingly,  there is never any mention of the issue in the German news and outside of Germany people are mostly unaware of what is going on here in Germany. I think that there should be more information about this made available in the international community, which might help somewhat to put a stop to the abuse.


*People on welfare are “exempted” from the service-fee.

[Besucher]

Zum Artikel in USA Today habe ich den Kommentar unten geschrieben.
[...]
Dazu möchte ich auch vorschlagen, dass es vielleicht nicht schlecht wäre, wenn das
gez-boykott Forum
http://gez-boykott.de/Forum
eine englischsprachige Rubrik mit wichtigen Informationen hätte.
Das würde vielleicht helfen, die Aufmerksamkeit der internationalen Medien zu erregen.
[...]

Finde ich cool. Danke für die Mühe  !

[Profät Di Abolo]

Guten TagX!

Vielen, vielen, vielen Dank!
Und:

What public doesn´t seem to realize is that this “fee” is just the peak of an ice-berg.
The Beitragsservice is the "National Service Agentur" for public broadcasters.

This whole system is a giant drag net method.

In the 1970´s Germany was the first country to establishing the “Rasterfahndung” to fight terrorism (RAF / Rote Armee Fraktion). The system is based on the data provided by the local “Meldestellen”. In 2013 about 69,8 million data-records where provided by the States (Bundesländer).

In 2018 this drag net method is going to be realized the second time.

The public broadcasters want to establish this drag net method as “regular law method”.

German homeland security was not able to stop Amri. He had about 6 identities.

The loyal behaving citizen is aim of a regularly drag net method just for living in an apartment or house.

You are not watching big brother, big brother is watching you!

For further information:

Thema:
Fiktive Begründung Bundesland Berlin / RBB
http://gez-boykott.de/Forum/index.php/topic,19751.msg130492.html#msg130492

B.8.      Die Meldedaten-Rasterfahndung ff.

Very spannend!

[Bürger]

ok, I'll try it as well...
English discussion will be an exception though, because of a mere lack of time.

Thank you, "Winston Smith", for your initative.

Dazu möchte ich auch vorschlagen, dass es vielleicht nicht schlecht wäre, wenn das
gez-boykott Forum
http://gez-boykott.de/Forum
eine englischsprachige Rubrik mit wichtigen Informationen hätte.
Das würde vielleicht helfen, die Aufmerksamkeit der internationalen Medien zu erregen.

Would be nice, indeed - however, the capacities are limited.
Let's figure out some kind of a work around...?

I am an American expat living in Germany [...]

There is a big english speaking expat community in Germany.
You could spread the word there.
Everyone can contribute his own little part.
This special part could be yours.

First of all this is a service fee and not a tax!!! That is so important that I will write it again: this is a service fee and not a tax!!!

Partially right
It is regulated as a "mandatory 'service fee' for everyone" (contradiction in terms!) because a "tax" couldn't have been implementet by the federal states, which are regulating broadcasting in Germany.

Not only is this service fee not a “tax”, it is also not even backed by a specific law.

Now, that is - unfortunately - not right.
It is very well "backed by a specific law", even though it is quite confusing.

I especially urge, not to let yourself mislead by misinformation such as "Rundfunkbeitragsstaatsvertrag" being just a "contract" or simply an "information by ARD-ZDF-GEZ".
It is an official, "legal" and registered federal state law.
The former "Gebühren-/ BeitragsBESCHEID", now "FestsetzungsBESCHEID" is not simply an "invoice".
It is an "administrative act" which becomes enforceable at law, if it is not being payed and formally objected by a "Widerspruch".
Please see
Clarification of deceptive videos regarding law/ contract/ bailiff/ marshal, etc.
Klarstellung zu irreführenden Videos bzgl. Gesetz/ Vertrag/ GV, etc.
http://gez-boykott.de/Forum/index.php/topic,10628.0.html

Had this fee been a tax, implemented or backed by a law, then it would have been considered unconstitutional from the start.

Unfortunately, this doesn't happen just by itself...
In order to get a law officially cancelled because of unconstitutionality, someone has to claim exactly that at the German highest court, the Federal Constitutional Court/ "Bundesverfassungsgericht".
That court, however, referred the plaintiffs to the "normal channel" from the very beginning.
That "normal channel", the German administrative courts, however, are well-known for the looooooong duration of their cases.
Therefore, just this year these cases will finally be dealt with at the highest court
Federal Constitutional Court and Federal Administrative Court - overview/ table of cases
BVerfG und BVerwG Verfahrensübersicht in Tabellenform.
http://gez-boykott.de/Forum/index.php/topic,19081.msg141760.html#msg141760
http://gez-boykott.de/Forum/index.php/topic,19081.msg141763.html#msg141763

In March of 2016 it was even officially established in the German courts via extremely tenuous arguments that this service-fee is not a some kind of “stealth-tax”.

Again: Not quite right.
It was "established" by Jan 01, 2013.
In March 2016 above mentioned cases reached the highest court of the "normal channel", the Federal Administrative Court/ "Bundesverwaltungsgericht".
This has "only" reconfirmed what all the other administrative courts have judged before.
You could call it "stealth-tax" - and "stealth-jurisdiction"...

To get around this “problem”, in blatant violation of the principles of European contract law, a contract was drafted between the individual state governments and the broadcasters which states that the public broadcasters may fleece every household for a flat fee.

Again, not quite right.
The content of the "contract" was "negotiated" between the states and the public broadcasters - if not highly influenced by the public broadcasters.
The "contract" itself, however, has been signed only between the federal states - not between the states and the broadcasters.
That is a big difference.
This contract has then been transformed into law by passing a bill in each state, that basically defined the content of the contract as "law".
Again - please see
Clarification of deceptive videos regarding law/ contract/ bailiff/ marshal, etc.
Klarstellung zu irreführenden Videos bzgl. Gesetz/ Vertrag/ GV, etc.
http://gez-boykott.de/Forum/index.php/topic,10628.0.html

I think that there should be more information about this made available in the international community, which might help somewhat to put a stop to the abuse.

I totally agree - and I refer to my above comment:
This could be your part and the part of other expats.

[Bürger]

Other english information please see

Pay or not to pay
http://gez-boykott.de/Forum/index.php/topic,10792.msg73866.html#msg73866
http://gez-boykott.de/Forum/index.php/topic,10792.msg73871.html#msg73871


Just a few links to english/ international articles

More and more Germans boycotting state media fees
http://www.dw.com/en/more-and-more-germans-boycotting-state-media-fees/a-19165376

More international news on the case of the arrested Sieglinde Baumert:
Internationale Presseschau zur Erzwingungshaft von Sieglinde Baumert 02-04/2016
http://gez-boykott.de/Forum/index.php/topic,18364.0.html


And - do not forget


Webseite | Flyer | Video-Trailer | Facebook


Save the date!
And spread the word!

[Bürger]

There are other international forums dealing with this issue as well, such as

Refusing to pay TV license fees (Rundfunkbeitrag)
http://www.toytowngermany.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=324660&view=findpost&p=3271847

One of the most recent comments is quite representative for the issue...
https://www.toytowngermany.com/forum/topic/324660-refusing-to-pay-tv-license-fees-rundfunkbeitrag/?page=36#comment-3551607

Radgostar, 16.03.2017

Is there any update on this matter? I am have received the letter from Finanzamt Charlottenburg in berling and asking for payment otherwise, they will open criminal case,

Basically, I moved to Germany from July 2015, and on March 2017 I received the above letter, when I contact them they mentioned this is something about TV payment which it was really confusing to me because first of all, I did not receive any letter from ( ZDF or RBB or ARD ) before and I did not have any idea what is this about. Secondly, to my logic, I should have signed some sort of contract with somebody and receive the invoice and then I owe them something base on contract, anyway whatever is this which I highly believe this is a totally wrong way of applying any rule/law to all the resident to pay something for something mandatory. But maybe I do not understand it correctly, especially because I do not know the German language I am not able to do the deep research in this language, so far I did some research on this topic with English language and it seems everybody is not happy to pay and may people refuse or recommend to not pay and they can not do anything. But most of the thing I found is very old and I do not see any new discussion or advice which happens recently. therefore I am keen to know what is the latest update. what were people recommend? If this is a law and most be paid, I don't have problem to pay in order to follow the law, But from the other hand, I have a problem with the penalty which they added and when I called them the just very aggressive and rude and they said the send a letter and I have to pay all plus a lot of penalty for not pay so far. which I told them I never received anything.

Any legal adviser or community which I can contact them and asked them for their help? especially in English and low cost of advice ?

[catweazle]

It´s no different to the old days where window and urine tax were collected from the peasants.
First one has to wake up and refuse to be owned! not conform to being a peasant!
once one has woken up and bucked up the courage to say enough is enough and I´m not going to take it anymore is when the fight begins.
Fight for your/our childrens sake or they will wake up tomorrow to tyrany, and you do not want to answer their question"where were you and what did you do" with erm eh erm well etc."das hatten wir schon" sorry if this sounds radical/polititicaly uncorrect but all our gut feelings say that this is wrong and any real man stands tall against a bully and says "NO".  we the people are the law and any judgement is in the name of we the people.if we give the authority to a private corporation to determine our fate,then we might as well hand over our daughters to pedophille with consent.
If we lose this fight we lose everything,it´s not just about the "gez" it´s about saying NO! to tyranny!!!  NOW! otherwise they will incrementally take our rights andfreedom and our children will wake up tomorrow as slaves on the very ground our fathers fought for.
I welcome any comments,advice or questions from our english speaking community and,if the moderators allow,willingly participate/contribute to an"English Thread".
I might not be the brightest candle on the cake but with the assisance from  "gallien" I will gladly help/translate/assist anyone who asks.

Teefax

[Profät Di Abolo]

Yoo Lupus! Let the BeitraXservus sing a song:

Ultavox

"All Stood Still"

The lights went out (the last fuse blew)
The clocks all stopped (it can't be true)
The program's wrong (what can we do?)
The printout's blocked (it relied on you)

The turbine cracked up
The buildings froze up
The system choked up
What can we do?

Please remember to mention me
In tapes you leave behind

We stood still
We all stood still
Still stood still
We're standing still

The screen shut down (there's no reply)
The lifts all fall (a siren cries)
And the radar fades (a pilot sighs)
As the countdowns stall (the readout lies)

The turbines cracked up
The buildings froze up
The system choked up
What can we do?

Please remember to mention me
In tapes you leave behind

We stood still
We all stood still
Still stood still
We're standing still

The black box failed (the codes got crossed)
And the jails decayed (the keys got lost)
Everyone kissed (we breathe exhaust)
In the new arcade (of the holocaust)

The turbine cracked up
The buildings froze up
The system choked up
What can we do?

Please remember to mention me
In tapes you might leave behind

We stood still
We all stood still
Still stood still
We're standing still
We stood still
We all stood still
Still stood still
We're standing still

Yoo Lupus! Mögen die Lichter im BeitraXservus bald ausgehen und der BeitraXservus zum Stillstand kommen!

Hinterlass "Filmbänder" von deiner "Unterdrücker-Tätigkeit" für die Nachwelt!

VIVA TEEFAX!

Hey you! Join the bright side of life! 

Join the GEZ-Boykott!

VIVA GEZ-Boykott!

 

[beat]

There are other international forums dealing with this issue as well, such as
Refusing to pay TV license fees (Rundfunkbeitrag)
[...]
One of the most recent comments is quite representative for the issue...
https://www.toytowngermany.com/forum/topic/324660-refusing-to-pay-tv-license-fees-rundfunkbeitrag/?page=36#comment-3551607

Radgostar, 16.03.2017 [...] Any legal adviser or community which I can contact them and asked them for their help? especially in English and low cost of advice ?

This is Germany: pay or die!

Just kidding, but I think in your case, you should pay it, otherwise they will get it from you and you will have more trouble.


Edit "Bürger":
Note > The quote is external - no use of a "reply" in this forum.
Please stay on topic. Thank you for your understanding and your consideration.