From next year, digital terrestrial TV will no longer work on old TV sets: it is possible to buy a new set by taking advantage of the Bonus TV. Here's how to do it
In a year's time, the digital terrestrial signal will change: the most obsolete devices will no longer be able to receive it and therefore will not be able to transmit TV channels correctly. In short, it will no longer be possible to watch TV. In order to facilitate the transition from an old to a new television set, the Ministry of Economic Development has made available the TV Bonus.
It is a contribution for the purchase of a new decoder or television set. The objective is to guarantee all citizens access to the new digital terrestrial signal. Despite the fact that many families have already responded positively to this opportunity, the health crisis has, in part, put a brake on purchases. More than 100 million euros are still available for those who wish to take advantage of the facility to buy a new device. Here's how to get the TV bonus.
Bonus TV held back by the Covid-19
So far, more than 96 thousand Italian households have taken advantage of the Bonus TV to purchase a TV set or a new decoder. These households have prepared themselves in time for the change to digital terrestrial television. In fact, the digital terrestrial TV channels will be transmitted only in high definition from September 2021, while from June 2022 they will be able to be viewed in the new Dvb-T2 format, inaccessible on the old TV sets.
Of course, many beneficiaries who have not yet applied are still missing. In fact, only 4.787 million of the fund have been used and more than 100 million remain unused. The bonus is aimed at low-income families and allows for a contribution of up to 50 euros. The amount of the facilitation depends on the expenditure: the more you spend, the higher is the contribution.
Surely the rush to purchase has been stopped by the Coronavirus: people have preferred to invest their savings in other goods or the store or shopping center was closed or unable to meet the demands. In this situation, between March and April, about 20 thousand contributions were assigned, but fortunately already from May the demand for bonuses has increased.
Probably the need to buy a device is also linked to the growth of applications such as Netflix that need a smart-TV. Currently, the majority of requests concern the purchase of the TV (83,891 thousand in total) in second place, however, are the decoders (11,448 thousand) and in third place the decoder for satellite (863). But there is still a long way to go: using the Bonus TV is really easy.
How to get the Bonus TV 2020 and 2021
The facilitation is reserved for families that have an ISEE up to 20,000 euros. If you fall into this category, just go to the retailer and hand over your identity card, tax code and the Bonus TV form available on the MISE website. This is a self-certification so it is not necessary to bring the ISEE document to the store, but only to be sure not to exceed the required threshold because for any subsequent checks it will be essential to prove that you have the required income. Moreover, it is fundamental to choose the right appliance, which is among those admitted to the contribution.
If the procedure is very simple for the customer, it is also very simple for the dealer. In fact, the amount will be returned in compensation in the form of a tax credit. To this end, retailers must register on the appropriate platform of the Inland Revenue and request the return of the amount with the tax return.