Slovenian voters will decide on October 11, 2026, on abolishing the mandatory payment of the public broadcasting fee.

Households that pay the full amount currently contribute 14.02 euros per month to RTV Slovenija. According to the announcement by the Slovenian National Electoral Commission, the official question translated into Croatian reads: 'Are you in favor of abolishing the mandatory payment of the fee for the programs of Radiotelevizija Slovenija?'

Who would finance the programs?

On an annual basis, the full fee amounts to 168.24 euros per household. If the obligation were abolished, that bill would no longer arrive, but another way of financing public radio and television would have to be found. For example, the money could come from the state budget, which means that citizens would still finance the programs through taxes. This is a possible scenario, and the referendum question does not specify what would replace the fee.

3 more questions on the ballot

On the same day, citizens will also vote on three more questions.

The first is whether a person receiving social assistance, who is able to work and has no justified obstacles to working, should be required to perform work beneficial to the community in order to retain the right to assistance.

The second concerns who is allowed to vote in local elections, in which municipal heads, mayors, and municipal councils are elected. It is proposed that only Slovenian citizens and citizens of other European Union member states should have that right, while citizens of other countries, for example Bosnia and Herzegovina or Serbia, who do not also have Slovenian citizenship would be excluded.

The third question concerns the entry into force of amendments to the law on parliamentary inquiries. That law regulates how members of parliament investigate cases of public interest and determine the political responsibility of public officials, for example for disputed decisions or actions. Together with the question on abolishing the RTV fee, voters will answer a total of four referendum questions.

A 'yes' vote will not immediately stop the collection of the fee

The referendum on the RTV fee is consultative, so its result will not automatically abolish the payment obligation. Parliament is not legally bound by the outcome, and abolishing the fee would require changing the law. The disappearance of that bill would bring concrete relief to households. How much the actual savings would be would also depend on whether the cost of financing public broadcasting is shifted to some other method of payment.