Subscription RTV Poczta Polska checks the consequences of fines arrears and appeals how not to pay

The topic of the subscription, from which money is transferred to Polish television, Polish radio and regional stations of Polish radio, arouses great feelings. The Financial Services Center in Poczta Polska checks whether citizens and companies pay RTV subscriptions. Recently, an article was published on the foundation’s website debunking some conspiracy theories on the subject.

The company revealed that only a few dozen consoles across the country check whether a radio or TV receiver is registered. They rarely visit apartments or houses. They focus on companies and institutions.

The Polish Post does not send spam calls

One of the subscription myths concerns spam calls that the company is supposed to send out based on the PESEL database. Is there a unit in Poczta Polska that randomly sends orders from the PESEL database to appear at any post office and provide proof of recipient registration and payment?

– The designated operator, which is Poczta Polska, is responsible for the implementation of the obligations arising from the Subscription Fee Act. Register PESEL, according to Art. 7 Section 1a, is used for tasks arising directly from the Subscription Act, therefore There is no legal or technical possibility for requests to be sent randomly from the PESEL database to appear at any post office and provide proof of recipient registration and payment. Poczta Polska does not use such practices. It is the user’s responsibility to register the recipients within 14 days of the recipient’s possession. The subscriber register kept is a database and there is no legal possibility to register a user / subscriber without his knowledge / consent, explains the press office of Poczta Polska in an interview with Wirtualnemedia.pl.

According to the institution, the person obligated to pay for the television or radio must register it. Otherwise, he faces severe punishment.

– The user of the recipients must complete the registration procedure without prior requests. A completed registration obliges the subscriber to pay a fee from the month following notification or benefit from a fee waiver (in the case of accruals). Registration is carried out without prior examination of the obligation to register recipients without financial consequences for the period prior to the use of the recipient. In the event of an inspection, during which the use of an unregistered recipient/recipients is found, an administrative decision is issued in which the The indicated fee is thirty times the monthly subscription fee (this is a penalty for using unregistered receivers) The Post Office explains.

Do I have to pay the fee if I register voluntarily (without checks)? – As mentioned above, the formality of the reported registration is the moment when the obligation arises. In the absence of an inspection, no administrative decision has been issued, and therefore there is neither obligation nor possibility of payment of fees for the alleged time when fees were not paid. Each user using an unregistered recipient makes such a decision at their own risk, as a result of having to pay a penalty in the event that recipients’ registration is checked (Section 5(3) and Section 7(6) of the Subscription Act), according to the Foundation’s press office.

Where does Poczta Polska get its data from?

In 2021, the national census was conducted. Some fear that the data collected by the survey organizers may be used to impose a fine for non-payment of an RTV license or to force the viewer or listener to pay such a fee. Where is the address data taken from? Is it possible to use CSO census data? – The subscriber who has registered is obliged to carry out the procedure for changing the address continuously (according to the MAiC Regulation of December 17, 2013 on the conditions and procedures for registering radio and television receivers). If the subscriber does not fulfill the obligation, Poczta Polska checks the personal data in the PESEL register (Article 7 (1a) of the Subscription Fee Act). As part of its mission, the company tries to use various data from publicly available public records – data from CSO censuses has not yet been used. – convinces the Polish Post.

Some people who pay for the RTV subscription decided to register the receiver during a visit to the Poczta Polska branch for a different purpose. They were convinced of this by the employees of this company. Can Poczta Polska employees at post offices encourage receiver registration? – Post office employees can and should encourage the registration of recipients, due to the legal obligation – explains Poczta Polska.

Employees may also ask why didn’t someone sign up for the recipient? – The post office employee is not an observer, and therefore such a question, if it arises, does not have negative consequences for the customer, and may make the customer aware of the obligation to register and warn of a possible financial penalty related to the use of unregistered RTV sets – explains the press offices.

RTV subscription in Poland

As of 2023, the fee for the wireless receiver alone is 8.70 PLN. If you also have a TV, you have to pay PLN 27.30. Fees must be paid no later than the 25th of the month. In Poland, at least 3.7 million people do not have to pay an RTV subscription. This includes people over 75 years of age, citizens with a significant degree of disability, completely unable to work or having the first disability group. The subscription does not have to be paid by war or military invalids, or people who were repressed during the Polish People’s Republic.
Inspection is important when authorized personnel check the technical condition of the device. According to the subscription law, the fee is paid to “a recipient adapted for immediate reception of the program”. It is not enough to remove the antenna on the balcony or the radio from behind the car window. There are no consequences for not allowing the console access. And he cannot return to us with the police officers.

An unfairly imposed fine can be appealed to the Minister of Infrastructure and then to the Administrative Court. In special cases, the amount due may be divided into installments by the National Broadcasting Board. A few months ago, lawyers from Kancelaria Prawna Media presented a detailed guide on appeal on Wirtualnemedia.pl. In their opinion, TVs only used for streaming services like Netflix are not subject to the fee. And the Polish Post is of the opposite opinion.


pays 34.4 percent. binding

The National Broadcasting Council reported in its 2021 report that the number of registered subscribers at that time was 6,544,732, including 238,203 institutional subscribers. 6,272,113 people and entities registered radio and television receivers, and 272,619 radio-only subscribers. Compared to 2020, the number of subscribers – natural persons decreased by 134,254, and the number of institutional subscribers increased by 672. The regulator indicated that out of 13,572,000 households, 96.4%. TVs.

This means that only 46.47 percent. of households have a registered receiver. As much as 62.21 percent. Subscribers, however, were exempted from the fee, for example because of age. 2,383,048 households and 238,203 institutional subscribers were required to pay fees. At the end of 2021, the fee was paid by only 900,255 obligated persons (34.34%), including 662,052 households and 238,203 institutional subscribers.

If Poczta Polska staff finds arrears with people who have a registered receiver, the viewer or radio listener should receive a reminder. If it also fails, Poczta Polska must issue an executive deed and file it with the enforcement authority, which in this case is the local head of the tax office. Receivables are collected by treasury collectors from a special unit with powers similar to bailiffs. For example, they can secure a bank account, stocks or bonds. In the event of an increase in debt, real estate too. The Ministry of Finance reports that from January 1 to November 30, 2022, enforcement actions have been initiated based on 45,854 enforcement documents.