In Germany, the Rundfunkbeitrag(Global broadcasting contribution) is known as the broadcasting fee or TV/radio tax. This fee, which will be set at 18.36€ per month, must be paid by every home in Germany.  

While it’s commonly referred to as a “TV tax,” it’s really a “television tax.” In Germany, the Rundfunkbeitrag is not regarded as a tax. This definition is based on a Federal Constitutional Court judgement from 2018. In response to petitions filed by opponents of the license fee, the court concluded that the Rundfunkbeitrag was not a tax, despite its appearance. It’s still referred to as the a “broadcast contribution”. 

Why to pay? 

The payment will be used to fund a contributing public broadcasting service. Contributory means that, regardless of their actual media usage, all adult citizens, corporations, organizations, and public interest organizations in Germany should make a contribution. 

Everyone, including those who pay a low or no license fee, can benefit from the diversity and quality of the publicly available public broadcasting programs in this way. The goal is to achieve the maximum level of financial justice available.  

Who needs to pay? 

In general, residents who are at least 18 years old must comply with the following: There is only one charge for each house. Even if more than one person lives at home, just one person is responsible for paying the charge, regardless of how many people reside there or how many devices they use. 

How to register?

1. Online registration for your household: Fill out this form with your information. It requires basic information such as your name and address.
2. If you choose to manually send it on the same form, you can specify your payment options, such as whether you want them to remove the money from your account or if you want them to remove it from your account. You can also choose to make monthly, quarterly, or annual payments. You can only use accounts with IBANs.
3. Stay on top of your Beitragsnummer and obtain confirmation of your situation. You’ll need it when you move or change addresses, because it’s your reference number. 
4. Rundfunkbeitrag must be paid within four weeks of the due date. 
5. Upon the due date, you will automatically receive a payment request if you pay by bank transfer. 
6. Your account details must be provided only once if you use a SEPA Direct Debit.

Buying a New Car (Neuwagen):

Buying a new car is straight forward and easy.

• Research the list of brands, costs, features and different local Car dealers. Finalise the Car type and Brand. There are plenty of resources that can help online research, Automobile Magazines, Newspapers, Television Commercials, and friend’s recommendations.
• Visit few dealers, most have at least a few English-speaking salesperson.
• There is a great room for negotiation when it comes to extras like sunroofs, Soundsystem etc., You need to bargain your best deal.
• Head to the dealer. You can test drive a few cars before you finalise your dream option.
• Once you have finalized your Car, you need to pay the costs 20% – 50 % upfront and the remaining in monthly installments. You can get bank loans also.
• Next you have to register your Car. Normally a reputed dealer will take care of this part as a part of the purchase.
• In Germany, all Cars are subjected to 19% VAT and these taxes are levied by the Dealer with the purchase.
• The next and the final step is to buy the Car Insurance for your Car. The cost of the insurance depends on the car model, location, age, years of driving experience, past driving record. Do a detailed analysis for buying the best insurance that covers your needs.
• Whenever you drive you need to carry your Driving License and Insurance details.

Pre-owned (Used) Cars (Gebrauchtwagen) Jahreswagen:

As the name states (Jahreswagen) some vehicles are brand new or sold within a year of usage.

If you do your research good and wait for the right vehicle you can save a lot on Used Cars. You can see a lot of deals in online websites mobile.de, autoscout24, carnext.com, eBay Kleinanzeigen, Local dealers, Private sale etc., In general, dealers sell with a period of warranty(by law) but it does not cover the defects due to normal wear and tear of the car.

Most dealers take care of the car insurance and registration also for the used cars. But if you buy from Private owners from eBay Kleinanzeigen then you need to take care of the proof of ownership of the car (Kfz-Brief). Also getting in approved at local motor vehicle department (Kfz-Zulassungstelle), and they will check everything and give you the License Plate.

Buying cars online are more prominent now-a-days because all details are available online. After you decide where to buy, here there is a checklist to make sure you got everything right.

• Mileage (Kilometerstand-the Odometer reading)
• Date of the next inspection (TÜV)
• Date of the first-time registration (Erstzulassung or EZ)
• Number of previous owners (Vorbesitzer- How many people pre-owned the car)
• Maintenance record (Checkheft gepflegt)
• Emission sticker (Umweltplakete) – most German cities have an environmental zone
• Model year, type (Combi/Sports)
• A local trusted workshop evaluation is recommended
• Test drive the car
• Enquire any repair/ accident history
• Tyres (Do winter/summer Tyres come alone with the purchase).