LRT’s annual budget depends directly on the taxes collected in the year before the last. The State allocates 1% of personal income tax and 1.3% of excise duties collected.

This funding model, where the budget is automatically calculated as a fixed share of the taxes collected by the State, has been in place since 2015 and guarantees independence from government institutions as well as commercial revenues and economic lobbying. Stable, targeted, and consistent funding for LRT is important for democracy and pluralism, and helps ensure impartiality. LRT is not allowed to air commercial advertising. In 2020, LRT allocated 61.9% of its budget (EUR 29 million) to content production and 31.6% (EUR 15 million) to personnel. Administrative expenses amounted to 5.1% of total expenditures in 2020. One-fifth of LRT’s annual budget returned to the State budget in the form of various taxes.