Singapore’s MDA has nothing to do with the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The Media Development Authority explains on its website their reason for existence is:
to develop a state-of-the-art media city
to position Singapore as a media exchange
to export made-by-Singapore content
to augment the media talent pool
to foster a conducive regulatory environment and culture
What they don’t tell you is that you are paying for the above program by owning a TV. Not by using a TV. Not by subscribing to cable. Just by owning one. It doesn’t matter if you don’t watch it, it isn’t plugged in, or it doesn’t work. You own a TV? You pay. In our case, Marso & I have a TV in our bedroom that we never use to watch over-the-air TV. We download movies from iTunes and watch those through our TV. Doesn’t matter. We have a TV.
I was doing a little research on this matter of the TV License Fee and found a guy here who had to pay his $110 annual fee plus a $250 late fee. He received a notice that he needed to pay the license fee, but since he does not own a TV, he didn’t pay it. The authorities with MDA contacted him repeatedly, and still he did not pay because he does not have a TV. Finally they reached him on the telephone and he explained to them that he does not have a TV. They told him that he was supposed to have reported that. He asked, “You mean I had to call you to tell you I don’t have a TV?” They told him that was correct. So he asked, “I have to pay $250 because I didn’t call you to tell you that I don’t have a TV?” They again told him he was correct. Ridiculous!
We have contacted the owner of our condo and he told us not to worry about the license fee. He will pay it. I am so impressed. Many of the landlords here nickel and dime their tenants. I was fully prepared to pay it when our landlord told us not to worry about it. Many expats here argue that whoever owns the TV should have to pay the license fee. That seems fair. And since our landlord owns the TV in our condo (we rent the condo fully-furnished), maybe he feels the same way. Regardless, we don’t have to worry about it.
