Who pays the royalty and how much does it bring in?

The "public audiovisual contribution" (CAP), or television license fee, is payable by households that have a television set and is levied at the same time as the housing tax.

Households that don't have a TV don't pay for it, even if they watch programs on a computer, tablet or smartphone.

Its current amount of 138 euros in mainland France (88 euros overseas) has been reduced by one euro since 2020. This tax should bring in 3.2 billion euros net this year, but 3.8 billion will be paid to public broadcasting, the State providing 600 million euros to compensate for the non-payment of the fee by the lowest income households.

Its principle has hardly changed since its creation, despite recurring debates on its future.

It was created in 1933 and struck at the time the holders of radio sets.

After the war, it was extended to televisions, radios having ceased to be taxed in 1980. Video recorders were subject to it from 1982 to 1986. Finally, a reduced rate for black and white televisions existed until 2004.

What is it for ?

The CAP is the main source of funding for public audiovisual companies: France Télévisions, Radio France, Arte, France Médias Monde (France 24 and RFI), TV5 Monde and the National Audiovisual Institute (Ina).

This resource has become all the more strategic since the removal of advertising in the evening and then in children's programs on public service channels.

Since 2018, the executive has asked the public broadcaster to cut its expenses while regularly reducing its contribution.

For example, France Télévisions is to receive 2.4 billion euros from license fees this year, out of a total budget of around 2.8 billion.

Radio France for its part underlined in December a drop for the fourth consecutive year in the public contribution, which will represent nearly 566 million euros, out of a total budget of 639 million euros.

Why does Emmanuel Macron want to delete it?

"We will remove the taxes that remain, the royalty is part of it," said Emmanuel Macron on Monday.

According to him, the disappearance of the fee, collected at the same time as the housing tax, is "consistent with the abolition" of the latter scheduled for the end of 2022.

President Emmanuel Macron during his campaign trip to Poissy, in the Yvelines, on March 7, 2022 Ludovic MARIN AFP

The scheduled end of the housing tax, promised by Emmanuel Macron during his campaign in 2017, has been accompanied since 2018 by a reflection to reform the collection of the fee.

In 2019, Gérald Darmanin, then Minister of Public Accounts, had already mentioned its abolition, provoking an outcry.

Three years later, such a hypothesis arouses many fears, in a context of galloping misinformation fed by social networks.

How to replace it?

Since 2018, the debate around the future of the fee has been bogged down.

In addition to the question of its method of collection, there has also been the question for several years of a possible enlargement of its base to all households, and no longer just those who have a television.

This development, which is politically difficult to defend, would be based on the growing consumption of programs on other types of screens (telephones, tablets, computers, etc.).

Another option: the increase of another levy (income tax, property tax …) but such a measure risks being highly unpopular for the executive to come.

The government spokesman, Gabriel Attal, mentioned for his part the track of "a budget voted for five years", from which "we cannot derogate" to guarantee public broadcasting "its means", "its independence" and "long-term visibility".

© 2022 AFP