ORF fee steam: Entrepreneurs threaten to close the company!

excitement in the Mostviertel! Markus Abel, head of a locksmith in St. Valentin, is confronted with a draconian payment request from ORF-Fe-Zeitrags Service GmbH. The entrepreneur refuses to pay the ORF fees for his company because he is already asked to pay privately. He fears that this double burden not only unfairly, but also the future of his company. "I will contest this claim in court. If the court decides against me, my company will be closed and the result is even more unemployed," says Abel. This conflict is severely fueled by the new ORF contribution law, which has been obliged to pay the company, if local tax was paid in the previous year, reports the Exxpress.at

The current ORF contribution law 2024 not only causes resentment in Abel, but is also accompanied by many other entrepreneurs with enormous uncertainties. It obliges all companies that have paid local tax last year to pay an ORF contribution. This is done regardless of the number of operating facilities-a maximum of 100 contributions per year and municipality must be paid, according to the ORF.BA.At.at . The situation is particularly precarious, since in some cases there may be double or multiple loads, for example for construction companies or cleaning service providers. In order to meet these challenges, discussions between those responsible for the ORF contribution Service GmbH and the Federal Ministry of Finance are currently taking place in order to develop a solution and offer affected companies.

drastic measures announced

The frustration grows with entrepreneurs such as Abel, since they not only have to deal with the financial burden, but also comply with safety regulations that prohibit the operation of media devices. This discrepancy makes the demand to pay additional fees, all the absurd. Abel plans to raise his voice in order to proceed against the regulation that is perceived as an unjust and thus calls for a broader protest that could possibly have extensive consequences for the implementation of the ORF contribution law.