Today, the story came out via Bild (a German newspaper) that registered asylum seekers/immigrants in some transitory status....got fee-letters from GEZ (the TV tax folks in Germany).
The GEZ folks wanted their quarterly Euro payment for the required TV tax.
What can generally be said is that GEZ is using a computerized program to analyze residents and non-payment of the TV tax now. If some guy suddenly appears and several months go by with no payment....the GEZ folks will send out a warning letter.
As for the refugees? I'm guessing they were really happy to get some letter in their mailbox, and upon opening it and then conferring with their social helper.....they were a bit disgruntled about this TV tax deal. Fifty Euro for a lot of these people.....is a significant amount of money. In the old country.....they probably never paid for TV. I would imagine the social helper sat there and had to spend at least twenty minutes explaining the TV tax and GEZ.....over and over to different people who got the letter.
What happens? Well....there is an exemption letter that can be sent and for a period of time.....these asylum seeker/refugees will be off the GEZ list.. But one day.....when they are employed and fully in the system.....GEZ will send the letter and there is no more exemption. Reality will hit. Two-hundred-odd Euro a year.....toward the TV tax.
Slowly but surely.....the Germans will make each refugee eventually have a sour taste in their mouth over this tax business.
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