In many countries, owing a television involves more than one throw in of cost.
Then, there are subscription fees for television channels and online streaming, as well as electricity cost.
And lastly, a tax for owning the television set, especially if you live in Europe.
In the past, many more countries had this taxation policy, but it was abolished.
Other countries like Brazil and the United States never had television license.
The licence was originally known as a wireless licence.
Some countries also have different fees for users with color or black and white TV.
Canadian radio receiving station licence, issued on 31 July 1948.
Photo:Auric/Wikimedia Commons
Radio licence was issued in India until 1984, when it was abolished.
It was introduced in 1928, a year after the British system.
Photo:Reddit
Radio and television licences in India had to be renewed at the post office yearly.
Defaulters were penalized and sometimes their radios and TVs seized.
Clubbing the television licence with electricity bills makes it difficult for consumers to evade the fees.
It has been estimated that about 5 percent of TV owners in the United Kingdom never pay the fee.
Evasion rates are highest in Poland, with over 65 percent TV owners shrinking from paying their dues.
Detection of evaders is a fairly simple matter.
The BBC claims that they posses special television detector vans that roam the streets seeking out unlicenced TV owners.
A BBC television detector van.
Photo: Central Press/Getty Images
Inside a television detection van, 1956.
Photo: Bert Brown/BIPs/Getty Images
A television detector van, said to be the only one surviving.
Photo:kitmasterbloke/Flickr
Austrians pay the highest television licence fee, about 335 annually.
Albania has the lowest with less than 6 a year.
Only 15 European countries currently have the tax.
A couple of others pay the tax as part of their electricity bill.
In Israel, only car owners are charged a radio tax.
