Television licensing in Italy

All owners of television equipment or any other equipment able or adaptable so to receive television are required by Italian law to have a television licence. The licence is used to part-fund the Italian public service broadcaster RAI. The licence fee was introduced for owners of radio sets in 1923, and is currently governed by a law which dates back to 1938. The annual cost of the licence fee is currently €112 once VAT (IVA) is accounted for.

From January 2016 all Italian electricity bills will carry a monthly surcharge which will be the equivalent of one tenth of the annual TV licence fee.

Cost of the licence fee over time

The following table shows the cost of the licence fee excluding the base rate and valued-added tax.

Year	Black & White TV	Color TV
1981	L. 36,320	L. 66,930[1]
1988	L. 88,740	L. 108,770[2]
1990	L. 113,700	L. 114,680[3]
1991		L. 131,140[4]
1992		L. 137,730[5]
1998		L. 156,150[6]
1999		L. 160,530[7]
2000		L. 164,860[8]
2001		L. 167,360[9]
2002		€ 87.76[10]
2003		€ 91[11]
2004		€ 93.46[12]
2007		€ 97.76[13]
2008		€ 98.72[14]

Notes

1. Decreto Ministeriale 12/08/1980 n. 528600
2. DM 04/07/1987 n. 478600
3. DM 27/12/1989 n. 938500
4. DM 20/12/1990 n. 869200
5. DM 20/12/1991 n. 959100
6. DM 29/11/1996 n. 10172400
7. DM 16/12/1998, n. 1373700
8. DM 13/12/1999, n. 1354200
9. DM 13/12/2000, n. 1383200
10. DM 30/11/2001, n. 18919
11. DM 20/12/2002, n. 10281
12. DM 22/12/2003, n. 13061
13. DM 15/12/2006, n. 24789
14. DM 18/12/2007, n. 29373