ORF household levy frozen by 2029: What does that mean for us?

ORF household levy frozen by 2029: What does that mean for us?

Burgenland, Österreich - On March 25, 2025, a new decision of the National Council's constitutional committee was approved, which freezes the ORF budget tax by the end of 2029. From 2024, the GIS fee will be converted to a monthly budget tax of € 15.30, which every Austrian household must pay. The decision, which was sent to the plenum with votes by ÖVP, SPÖ and Neos, are part of a comprehensive amendment to the ORF law, which was necessary due to a judgment of the Constitutional Court (VfGH). This had declared parts of the previous ORF law as unconstitutional.

The central problem of constitutional review concerned the government's excessive influence on the board of trustees and the public council, which endangers the independence of the ORF. In order for the changes come into force in good time, the law must be regulated by the end of 2023. The VfGH also found that the reason for the ineffectiveness of the foundation councils was in the inaccurate definition of the requirements for their order. In the future, the government may not order institutions more than the public council, which consists of 30 members and monitor compliance with the ORF law.

changes in committee occupation

The Board of Trustees is responsible for the election of the ORF general director and the approval of financial plans. The new provisions also lead to the re -occupation of the board of trustees and the public council after the entry into force of the reforms, with a new period of time that begins on June 17, 2025. Criticism of the amendment to the law comes especially from the FPÖ, which calls for the full abolition of the ORF budget tax, but does not find a majority for its suggestions. The Greens also express concerns and demand more independence and gender parity in the ORF bodies.

effects on the media landscape

The temporal requirements of the VfGH mean that the ORF law must go through a fundamental reform, which may result in far-reaching changes in the media landscape. The decision could set new standards for the governance of the ORF and reduce the dependence on political influences. For the current occupation of the ORF bodies, which started service in spring 2022, this could mean drastic changes, since the reforms could shorten their terms of office.