The act introducing subsidies, the so-called Dekoder + has already been adopted by the Sejm and will be dealt with by the Senate this week. It assumes that every household which, after changing the terrestrial television broadcasting system, will not have the financial resources to purchase a modern set-top box, may apply for state aid. It is enough to submit an application, e.g. at the post office or online, to get PLN 100. The support will not be granted in cash, but in the form of a code that can be redeemed in online and stationary stores.
Coupon for a decoder. Who will get PLN 100 from the state?
Decoder +. Who is excluded from the program?
Although it has been known about the change in the standard of terrestrial television broadcasting for four years, the government is only now pushing through the regulations in the express mode. Time is of the essence – in some provinces the standard will be changed at the end of March and since then thousands of families with old TV sets and set-top boxes will not have access to basic programs – TVP 1, TVP 2, TVP Info, but also TVN or Polsat. The subsidy scheme is common – the income of the applicant will not be taken into account. In practice, however, the regulations exclude some people from government assistance. So who won’t get the money for a set-top box?
Decoder +. MEPs point to a loophole
The + decoder ignores people who have already bought such a device, knowing about the change of the broadcasting standard. The deputies pay attention to this. – The law is very late and there are many problems in it. First, it rewards those who have waited a long time to replace a set-top box until the very last minute. And what if someone was solid enough, serious enough to buy a set-top box, spent money, even though he could not afford it, but collected it so that he could watch his favorite channels, have access to information, education or even entertainment? ? – asked MP Grzegorz Napieralski from KO during the last session of the Sejm.
The state is giving away vouchers! See how much you are owed
He’s not the only one. – I want to ask about retirees. Retirees are a less affluent group that you want to pay extra, but there are also foresight retirees who bought these set-top boxes a month or two months ago. Will those who bought get an extra charge for the set-top box or will they be treated differently than those who wait until the last minute? – in turn, Artur Łącki, Napieralski’s party friend, asked the Minister of Digitization, Janusz Cieszyński.
Decoder +. Surprising reply from the minister
It turns out, however, that the government is not going to help this group with any precautionary measures and include it in the new aid! Reason? Minister Cieszyński explained that if someone had bought a set-top box earlier, he proved that he could … afford it! So I don’t need any help.
– We are talking about support which has the nature of social support, i.e. it concerns people who were not able to afford such an expense. By making such a purchase, unfortunately, a person can say that this was not the case, explained Minister Cieszyński in the Sejm.
Decoder +. Will you lie in the application? You face penalties
Interestingly, the regulations contain a provision that the person applying for the voucher will have to sign a declaration that he cannot afford to buy such a device. The declaration will be made under the threat of criminal liability. Who will check whether the citizen really can afford to buy the device? This is not known.
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