Censorship Office announces new fees

By BOSORINA ROBBY
THE Censorship Office will charge new fees for operators, distributors and premises owners of videos, audios and other publications that need classification.
Acting chief censor Jim Abani said the fees collected were non-taxable revenues that would be added to the national budget as internal revenue.
The changes would apply to schedule two operators such as commercial radio stations, motels, hotels, cable television providers, internet service providers, bookshops, video distributors, public cable television and others in this category of service.
Abani said the National Executive Council agreed last April to repeal and replace schedule two and three of the Classification Publication (Censorship) Amendment regulation 2011.
This is applicable to all government departments and statutory agencies.
“For the censorship office, we are implementing it beginning this month on business houses that have video libraries and operators, radio stations such as the PNGFM and EMTV for public cable TV.
“Everyone has been notified and most have paid their new fees,” he said.
Abani explained that some of the government departments had never changed their fees since Independence, despite the increasing cost of doing business.
“The last change in fees made by this office was in early 2000.
“But now, we have increased it so that whatever we raise will go towards assisting the government achieve its goals, especially the Vision 2050.
“All operators must be aware of the fees, cooperate and comply with them and other regulations.
The fees for schedule two operators are:
l Publishers certificate K200/pa (K150/pa);
 l Television station certificate K5,000/pa (K2,500/pa);
l Radio station certificate K2, 500/pa (remains the same);
l Public cable TV certificate K5, 000/pa (K3, 500/pa);
l Limited hotel cable TV certificate K1,500/pa (K1, 250/pa);
l Special cable TV certificate K1,000/pa (K600/pa);
l Film theatre certificate K500/pa (K300/pa);
l Video dealers certificate K1,000/pa (K600/pa);
l Video theatre certificate K200/pa (K150/pa);
l Video cinema certificate K2, 000/pa;
l Literature Distributers certificate K500/pa (K350/pa);
l Literature Dealers certificate K300/pa (K200/pa);
l Audio distributors certificate K500/pa (K350/pa);
l Audio dealers certificate K200/pa (K150/pa);
l Film production certificate K5, 000/pa;
l Internet Service Providers certificate K5, 000/pa;
l Video outlet certificate K300/pa; and
l Change of Publication premises K200 (K150/pa).
Abani said schedule three fees would apply only to arcades or gaming machines.
Abani said the new fees were applicable to both new and operating publication premises.