RTL’s news programs became more critical of the government after a new progressive tax on advertising revenue was introduced by the FIDESZ-KDNP government. Gerkens, who believes that his station’s news is independent, estimates that RTL Klub, owned by the German media conglomerate Bertelsmann “will pay 90 percent of the revenue raised by the [increased advertising revenue] tax, although it commands only 15 percent of the market”.