Billag is going to get me...

Billag: taxa mensal de licença de porte de televisão e rádio. Eu bem perguntei à minha colega de casa se ela tinha declarado a televisão dela, e ela disse que sim. Mas eu bem achei estranho nunca ter recebido nenhuma conta... Agora que o inspector da Billag bateu à porta é que me apercebo que a história estava mal contada.

Para perceberem melhor o meu drama, aqui vai a explicação do que é essa taxa, dada pelo ETH para os seus estudantes internacionais:

Radio and Television Tax

Everyone in Switzerland who owns a radio and/or television is required to pay a tax. The tax is by 'household' (address) and not per person. This is separate from the charges for cable services and installation. "Do I really have to pay the tax?". Not surprisingly, a frequent question. The short answer to that question is YES. Particularly if you have a telephone, they will eventually track you down and start sending you scary letters informing you that you had better register. Eventually, if you keep avoiding it, city officials will show up on your doorstep to search your house, and can give you a fine of up to Sfr. 5000.- for avoidance of a federal tax if they find a TV or radio. If you buy a radio or television (even a clock or car radio), you need to register with the Swiss organization that administrates this tax. They are called BillAG and they have an online registration in English at . They will mail you forms that you will have to fill out and return. Payments are made in quarterly installments (4 times a year). If you have both a radio and TV (and they aren't going to believe you have only one of the two), the cost is currently Sfr. 112.60 per quarter, or Sfr. 450.40 per year. BillAG now has a very detailed question and answer page in English about the tax and its purposes. This can be viewed at http://www.billag.com/ratv/en/fragenantworten/index.php. To summarize, "yes, you have to pay the tax!" :) The central homepage of BillAG is http://www.billag.ch