Once the tax has been suspended, the government turns its attention to the fee. The tax that finances RAI could disappear from Italians’ bills or be cut, but under specific conditions. Forza Italia has presented a proposal to cut the tax to the Senate as part of the parliamentary examination of the reform of the public radio and television service. An innovation that concerns millions of families, currently called upon to pay 90 euros per year through their electricity bill, but which also raises the question of the future financing of Rai. Who will keep it standing?
How the cut in the Rai license fee proposed by Forza Italia works
The amendment was presented by the speakers Claudio Fazzone and Roberto Rosso, both from Forza Italia, during the discussion of the Rai reform in the Senate. It is not yet clear whether the tax could be cut or abolished entirely.
The text establishes that a reduction in the tax is subject to the finding of compensatory public funding to be allocated to the concessionaire company. The principle is that Rai can receive fewer resources directly from taxpayers through the license fee, but without suffering a corresponding decrease in the public funding necessary to carry out the service.
How much you pay today and what could change from 2027
The ordinary Rai license fee currently amounts to 90 euros per year. For owners of residential home electricity users, payment takes place through ten monthly installments of 9 euros, charged on bills from January to October.
The amount was temporarily reduced to 70 euros in 2024, before returning to 90 euros in 2025 and remaining unchanged in 2026. A new reduction, or total cut, would therefore allow a net saving on the bill, up to a maximum of 90 euros.
If the license fee is cut, who will pay Rai?
The abolition or reduction of the license fee would reduce the revenue from television subscriptions. As a result of the condition established by the amendment, the difference should be compensated by other public funds.
In fact, the text asks to provide, in addition to the payment of the license fee, “other forms of public financing”. However, the concrete origin of these funds remains to be identified.
The issue also concerns European rules on the financing of public media. The European Media Freedom Act requires that funding procedures guarantee adequate, sustainable and predictable resources, such as to safeguard editorial independence.
When you decide to cut the Rai license fee
The proposal comes as part of the examination of the RAI reform, which also involves the rules on governance and organization of the company. The vote on the amendments in committee is scheduled to begin on September 23.
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Even if the proposal is approved, a discount on the bill would not be immediately triggered: the new mechanism would have to be incorporated into the legislation and, above all, the resources necessary to finance the reduction would have to be found. For 2026, therefore, the Rai license fee remains set at 90 euros.