TV License

thebaz

Now that RTE has lost the rights to another populart event , Premiership Football, why should we the Irish TV population be forced to pay a license fee to RTE , even though some of us , myself included have no desire or want to watch RTE. If i want to watch RTE fair eneogh , i'll pay my license , but if i choose to watch BBC , Setanta , TV3 , C4 etc . surely that my right - and i should not have to pay a fee that goes directly to RTE .

Noelie

Does TV3 get any of the TV licence?

WhiteWashMan

becuase its the law.

abelard

Noelie wrote:

Does TV3 get any of the TV licence?

Nope, they're fully financed by advertising.

I'm fully against the tv license too, expecially since it has to be paid even if the television is used solely for cctv, gaming, whatever, but as was mentioned, it's the law.

Hagar

Think of it as just another tax.
Bend forward, touch toes.

thebaz

Got keep Gerry Ryan and especially Pat Kenny well paid

abelard

Could be wrong, but aren't RTE making a loss as it is? They would probably collapse without our licence fee

Pigman II

Is there any country that actually is happy to pay their licence fee and reckon their national broadcaster IS doing a bang-up job?

I guess RTE are in the same unfortunate position as domestic soccer in this country in that their product is constantly being compared to what is on offer in the UK. When it doesn't measure up (an impossibility in itself) it is rubbished.

Ruu_Old

My friend in America was shocked when I told them the price of the TV license in Ireland, isnt it €156 a year?

Hitchhiker's Guide to...

its more in the UK

Hitchhiker's Guide to...

Noelie wrote:

Does TV3 get any of the TV licence?

TV3 can get some of the licence fee through the cultural fund part of the licence fee (although they have never been sucessful in applying for it). the licence fee also pays for the national opera. It also supports some other things such as transmission, archiving of national records (televised and radio) etc.

€12-13 euro a month is not a huge amount of money

Noelie

Don't get me wrong, they are wasting the TV licence money in many areas but we get a lot of american TV shows over here before the UK channels, look at Lost and Sopranos.
They just seem to be wasting the cash on home grown stuff, how much do messers Ryan and Kenny get?

Hitchhiker's Guide to...

Ruu wrote:

My friend in America was shocked when I told them the price of the TV license in Ireland, isnt it €156 a year?

would much prefer to pay the irish licence fee, than have to watch 30 minutes of tv that only contains about 18 minutes of actual program and the rest in ads. also like the irish situations lack of political ads and product placement within tv shows.

it is a personal choice though. they don't seem to mind it in the US

Hitchhiker's Guide to...

Noelie wrote:

They just seem to be wasting the cash on home grown stuff, how much do messers Ryan and Kenny get?

i'd saw in those two situations, their pay is supported (in abundance) by the advertising their programs draw in. It would actually look like a good deal if their pay was compared to their 'advertising earned'

it is the programs on at 1am in the morning that cost all the money...

sure the home grown stuff can be a bit of a waste, and i'm sure the admin/bureaucracy loses a fortune for them. still, a lot of programs 'need' to be produced even if only a few people will watch them.

nesf

Noelie wrote:

They just seem to be wasting the cash on home grown stuff, how much do messers Ryan and Kenny get?

Would you prefer if we imported almost all of our television programs, like TV3 do? There are some decent current affairs shows on RTE, along with GAA, which are definitely lacking in the TV3 set-up. I know not everyone wants to watch them but if we lost them we'd be much poorer for it tbh.

monkeyfudge

5% of the license fee is now allocated to the Sound & Vision fund that is allocated by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland and which anyone can apply for to make programming.

The radio station I work with has already had several series commissioned under this fund. And I'm also involved in setting up a Community Access Television Station for Dublin which will rely heavily on the Sound & Vision fund.

Ruu_Old

Roundtower2 wrote:

would much prefer to pay the irish licence fee, than have to watch 30 minutes of tv that only contains about 18 minutes of actual program and the rest in ads. also like the irish situations lack of political ads and product placement within tv shows.

it is a personal choice though. they don't seem to mind it in the US

Its hateful but you are probably right, it annoys me but Im not used to it like the others I guess. You're watching something like Simpsons, cut to the ads and in the middle of the ads "We'll be right back with the Simpsons" and then more ads!

Noelie

I'm not saying that all home grown stuff is a waste, but for example Who wants to Be a Millionaire, why get Gay, they could have gotten someone with a little less draw, they still would have gotten the same ratings and a lot less cost.

I would guess there is a lot of Admin spend that could be reduced, espically if they were told the fee wasn't being increased for a few years.

trillianv

Roundtower2 wrote:

would much prefer to pay the irish licence fee, than have to watch 30 minutes of tv that only contains about 18 minutes of actual program and the rest in ads. also like the irish situations lack of political ads and product placement within tv shows.

it is a personal choice though. they don't seem to mind it in the US

I am American and we don't pay a license at all. I was appalled at the price of the license here as I rarely watch the local channels. If you are paying for satellite television you should not have to pay a license fee, it should be paid by the satellite provider, IMHO.

And as for it being a personal choice, it's not, we don't have a choice of how long our ad breaks are for. Besides, really are we having all that longer of total ads in the entire hour. If say, CSI, plays from 10 pm to 11 pm here it is being shown during the same hour it would be played in America. Therefore, obviously you are being shown the same total amount of ads, only maybe they are being played between programs.

Munya

Roundtower2 wrote:

would much prefer to pay the irish licence fee, than have to watch 30 minutes of tv that only contains about 18 minutes of actual program and the rest in ads. also like the irish situations lack of political ads and product placement within tv shows.

it is a personal choice though. they don't seem to mind it in the US

Thats true that did annoy me whilst I was there. I dont believe Rte should have any ads at all though.

robinph

Roundtower2 wrote:

its more in the UK

But you get a lot more for that as well, and no adds either.

nesf

trillianv wrote:

If you are paying for satellite television you should not have to pay a license fee, it should be paid by the satellite provider, IMHO.

This I defintely agree with. If I'm paying for Sky Digital (for example), I'm essentially paying for RTE twice. But I cannot see anything changing tbh.

DublinWriter

Privatise RTE. Privatise RTE. Privatise RTE.

RTE currently generate 70% of their income through advertising and 30% through the Licence fee.

Ask yourself how much worse would a 30% less funded RTE be? Not much.

As recepiants of the licence fee, don't expect any very edgy or politically critical programming to come out of Montrose. Remember how Scrap Saturday and Bull Island were axed at the hight of their popularity?

As recepiants of commerical funding, don't expect any very edgy or critical consumer programming. Could you imagine RTE ever having a programme like Top Gear where they dared to be critical of a Renault product? (their chief sponsors atm).

As we come into the summer months, watch as RTE has a bit of a snooze and suspends most of it's normal home-grown programming until late September.

Dudess

The fact that RTE is a public service broadcaster, yet still gets tons of advertising revenue, doesn't make sense to me. Surely it's effectively a commercial broadcaster because of this and a public service one in name only? That's what makes me mad about the licence fee. Am I right in saying that a licence fee has to be paid to keep a public service broadcaster going? (Although that's not the case in the States with PBS, but PBS isn't the state broadcaster, unlike RTE). Fair enough if that is the case. I wouldn't have a problem paying the licence fee then, but the fact that there's so much advertising - that riles me. At least the BBC doesn't get any advertising revenue.
And another important and significant point - RTE's ****e.:D

chamlis

Guys, RTE is probably the second-best network in the world. Seriously, I wouldn't change a thing. We get the best of what's out there, minus all the sh1te way before anyone else. They are not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but if you compare RTE to ANY OTHER NETWORK you'll see difference in all round quality. I mean, RTE are a general station. They need to appeal to a wide range of people, and in that regard, they do the best job they can.

I'm gonna get flamed the fark out of it now.

Cormic

chamlis wrote:

RTE is probably the second-best network in the world.

Who is the best network then? FOX?

dermo88

This tax in the 21st century is oudated, obsolete and outmoded. It should be abolished, but the idiots who make the laws, conveniently forget the taxes that they have already imposed, and cannot wait to impose a few more additional ones.

Gough Whitlams Government in Australia saw fit to do that, and axe this odious, outmoded, regressive tax in the 1970's. The Americans, in their wisdom, despite having terrible TV, never had it. Nor do the Canadians.

And for some wierd, and unknown reason, its hardly RTE programmes that sell worldwide. Its hardly anything from French, Belgian, Swedish, or norwegian TV, all of which have higher Telly taxes than we do. They don't sell abroad either.

I could accept if it had some objective such as preserving the Irish language, but that, since Independence has failed, and cost the economy in todays cash terms, 80 BILLION EURO. Imagine that.

I could accept if it had preserved elements of Irish culture. Hardly. Certainly not, when compared with the likes of the BBC who earn every last cent of their licence fee with a quality product.

YOU, the individual, the householder, the person who bought your TV, bought your DVD player, bought your DVD's, rent movies, continue to pay VAT at 21% on those items. You've already paid.

Burn their threatening letters. When their inspectors come around, make their lives hell. Delay them. Get the local thugs on them. Cause "minor" accidents.

Sooner or later the message will be heard at Montrose and Dail Eireann. This is an unpopular tax, and it has to go. Replace it with a General Communications tax, an extra levy on Cablelink bills, and the purchase of TV's and DVD equipment.

My hatred of this tax goes back to the 1980's, when I saw a next door neighbour who had three kids being arrested for not having the licence, and her TV taken away. As a 10 year old, I saw something was wrong with society if it treated someone, a mother, who lived at home, who watched TV, as a criminal. As a 10 year old, I regarded it as disgusting, sick, and morally wrong, and morally bankrupt of the establishment to behave in such a manner. Criminal offence....get real.

In Britain, you see drug dealers in the streets selling weed, coke and heroin. Meanwhile, you see the bus Shelters advertising "You could get a 1,000 Pound fine, blah blah, blah, not having one is a criminal offence". Seriously, its a waste of court time when a summons for this is sent out, and a fine issued.

I know she was wrong. I know everyone else paid. Maybe because we could afford to. I saw the stamps going into the booklet, and the pound notes and fivers being squirelled away to pay for it.

What a joke. What a farce. The TV licence is a threat to decent people in society who fear being labeled as criminals. The people in charge know that. They will continue to make laws, and taxes called licences that target ordinary law abiding working class people like you and me, and never ever forget that.

You'll probably remember when you have 5 Euro left to your name after paying all that you should by law.

newbie2

Licence fee revenue is used to fund RTÉ's public service activities. The cost of providing these services is however substantially in excess of the amount of public funding received in the form of licence fee revenue and for this reason RTÉ also engages in a number of commercial activities. Currently, approximately 50% of RTÉ's revenue is derived from licence fees and approximately 50% from commercial income. Some of RTÉ's public service activities receive complete public funding, some receive limited public funding and some receive no public funding.

RTÉ 1 gets 45% of this funding
RTÉ 2 gets 24%
RTÉ radio 1 gets 8%
RTÉ lyric FM gets 4%
RTÉ Radio na Gaeltachta gets 6%
RTÉ Performing Groups get 8%
Support for TG4 = 5%

RTÉ 2fm and RTÉ Publishing (RTÉ Aertel, RTÉ.ie, RTÉ Guide) do not receive any public funding. Source: RTÉ Annual Report 2004

99% of housholds have a tv. And are obliged to pay a TV licence Fee under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1972.

If you feel you cannot afford this then I suggest you go here: http://www.welfare.ie/foi/hbp.html

We pay the lowest TV Licence Fee per capita in the EU.

In announcing the Government approval of an increased TV Licence Fee, December 2002, Minister Dermot Ahern stated: "RTÉ will be able to seek annual increases up to the level of the Consumer Price Index (CPI). All future licence fee changes will be subject to the strict monitoring of performance against financial, management and programming targets." RTÉ made its first application for an increase linked to CPI in November 2003 and received an increase of €2, with effect from January 2004.

Between now and 00.35 tonight there is only one non home produced programme on RTÉ one (Silent Witness).

In my opinion it's worth every cent of the €155 per year (42 cent per houshold per day )

PS. I work for RTÉ and I also have to pay the fee. It sucks but thats life.

Lump

If I don't pay the license fee in my job, it's a sackable offence.



John

newbie2

Lump wrote:

If I don't pay the license fee in my job, it's a sackable offence.



John

me too:(

dermo88

Yes comrade, I am sure it is worth every kopeck comrade. Now get your hands out of my wallet comrade and stop financially raping me.

Or do I have a choice between KY Jelly or Vaseline. Condom or not?

"99% of housholds have a tv. And are obliged to pay a TV licence Fee under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1972"

A law that was made 34 years ago. A law that is outdated. A law made when a colour Television cost between 2,000 and 3,000 Euro in TODAYS money.

I am all for fairness, equality, and meeting ones obligations to society as a good citizen, but there comes a point in time where this has to be questioned, and challenged.

And I am now asking questions, very serious questions.

In 1972, when the WTA was passed, how many channels were there in Ireland?
How many are there now?

How much did a TV cost then?
How much does it cost now?

How come Irish broadcasters are surviving and thriving in the private sector?

I have no doubt that RTE do a stellar job. Thank you, you've done 45 years of excellent work, excellent programming, many memorable and exciting moments.

I have no desire to go to the social welfare website, and hope I never need it. I am a law abiding citizen, who resents ads desciribing people as spongers. I resent ads who describe people as criminals for using their eyes, and turning on a box. I resent the apparatus of the state being used to check people on a database. That goes for Britain and Ireland. In Britain, the most common convictions are amongst single mothers.

Lump - How come its a sackable offence in your job?

DublinWriter

dermo88 wrote:

I am a law abiding citizen, who resents ads desciribing people as spongers.

Makes you wonder who the real spongers are. TV Licence? TV Tax more like.

dermo88 wrote:

Lump - How come its a sackable offence in your job?

He's a TV Licence Inspector, obviously!

Lump

dermo88 wrote:

Lump - How come its a sackable offence in your job?

I work for a national broadcaster, not in Ireland.

John

MarkR

I'd guess he works for rte.

Geez dermo, you're pretty anti tv licence there. I think its ridiculous having to pay twice for rte (through sky) but you sound like you're writing this while taking a break from writing your manifesto!

dermo88

Let me state it clearly that I have always paid the TV tax, as it is the law. Whether I agree with that law is another matter entirely. I have never been in court, or caught for a criminal offence, nor do I intend to be. I have never stolen. I have never committed a violent act without valid reasons.

I do believe in people paying their fair share. But fairer means of raising revenue should be looked at, considered, evaluated.

Has RTE's share of the broadcasting market risen or fallen since the passing of the Wireless Telegraphy Act of 1974.

During the land wars of the 1880's, Irish people learned how to deal with landlord and their agents. They learned how to do with Tithe Proctors. They learned how to boycott.

Do we have to learn the fine art of defiance again?

I mean, when you see a TV licence inspector. Wait, wait till he visits you. Then he is gone. Follow him. Soak him in water, urine, cow manure. If you work in a shop, and see one, make sure he is the last to be served. Let them know that informers and their kind are not welcome. Ostracise and smite them.

Just follow the 11th commandment.

The_Conductor

To be perfectly honest, I have to agree with Lump and quite a few of the other posters here. We do have a decent national broadcaster, who provides decent programming to a broad cross section of society. Sure, its another form of indirect taxation- but regardless of that fact, and regardless of whether you are a fan of RTE or not, they do a good job. One RTE reporter was almost deported from the US for asking Bush about the Iraq war- before any US networks had the balls to do the same. Our foreign news teams, while shy of Sky/CNN/CNBC/BBC territory, are reknowned for their impartial and timely reporting and regularly win international awards. While it may be a Semi-State company- they are beholden to no-one. Look at the Eddie Hobbs programmes that had most of us glued to the screens last year.

Its a bitch that we have to pay 155 (or whatever it is) a year, but on the whole, this country would be a whole lot worse off if RTE did not exist in its current form.

I would have to agree that RTE is probably the second best network in the world, after the BBC...... I too have satellite TV, but would watch most of TV from the terrestial outfits, as the fare on satellite is crap of the highest order.

MarkR

dermo88 wrote:

I mean, when you see a TV licence inspector. Wait, wait till he visits you. Then he is gone. Follow him. Soak him in water, urine, cow manure. If you work in a shop, and see one, make sure he is the last to be served. Let them know that informers and their kind are not welcome. Ostracise and smite them.

Just follow the 11th commandment.

So it's ok to hurl piss on someone because he's doing his job? I don't think that's acceptable or any reason. This isn't about freedom or independance. It's about paying to watch tv. What 11th commandment are you talking about? I googled it couldn't find anything about hurling piss or being rude to people in shops?

DublinWriter

MarkR wrote:

It's about paying to watch tv.

Wrong! It's about paying a tax for owning a TV in the first place.

The_Conductor

DublinWriter wrote:

Wrong! It's about paying a tax for owning a TV in the first place.

Surely thats sales tax, or VAT in the case of Ireland....
The licence fee is not specific to a particular television- its specific to a particular location. I.e. if you have a holiday home in the West and a telly there (or even bring your telly with you there) you need a seperate licence for the 2nd location, even if its the same television set.

DublinWriter

smccarrick wrote:

Surely thats sales tax, or VAT in the case of Ireland....

No, the Licence fee is the gift that keeps on giving.

Theoretically, if I buy a TV and just use it for watching DVD's, I still have to buy a TV Licence annually.

The_Conductor

However if there are 6 of ye in the house and you each have your own set in your bedroom- its still only one licence you need in the house......

I know what you're saying- I had a similar argument with an An Post official regarding a TV card in a PC (I was using my PC for 2 or 3 years as a TV about 6 or 7 years ago- I should have patented the idea, Microsoft would owe me a fortune with their new Viiv systems.....)

In the end the An Post official told me not to bother paying- though on a closer reading of the act, I clearly should have been paying.

Sure the TV licence is a bitch, don't get me wrong. Have you been in Germany or Austria lately- they have to pay a tax on media (CDRs, DVDRs) as a manner of minimising piracy (it has the opposite effect, as people have paid a tax specifically to compensate artists, they then feel they have paid for the right to pirate the works).

Its an imperfect world, and the TV licence is an imperfect manner of funding programming in the best manner that will suit *most* people.

In an ideal world perhaps we would have the likes of Skype credit that would charge 1 cent a minute (or whatever) when we watched RTE, or a larger deduction for higher value programming (certain sporting events etc). We are going down that road- I can see a time in the not so distant future where it may be a reality.

Perhaps its not fair that everyone has to pay the tax regardless of their viewing habits. But then again- would you want little old grannies in nursing homes to have to pay 10 times more than anyone else for their daily dose of Derek Davis et al. ? Akin to health insurance, its a form of community rating. You are paying for something that you may be using, or may not be using- but it will be there, should you wish to use it.......

dermo88

Quote:
Originally Posted by dermo88
I mean, when you see a TV licence inspector. Wait, wait till he visits you. Then he is gone. Follow him. Soak him in water, urine, cow manure. If you work in a shop, and see one, make sure he is the last to be served. Let them know that informers and their kind are not welcome. Ostracise and smite them.

Just follow the 11th commandment.


So it's ok to hurl piss on someone because he's doing his job? I don't think that's acceptable or any reason. This isn't about freedom or independance. It's about paying to watch tv. What 11th commandment are you talking about? I googled it couldn't find anything about hurling piss or being rude to people in shops?

Doing their job:

The 11th commandment, is "Thou shalt not get caught". Now, put simply, what other law requires privacy to be infringed to this extent. Today, we see the revenue commisioners getting extra powers. We see the Gardai getting extra powers. We see various ministries getting additional powers.

You may think that these laws are imposed for "The common good", "To protect". No, you could not be more wrong. These are laws designed as a money sucking device. To suck more of YOUR money from YOUR pocket. To abuse the goodwill and honesty of law abiding people. Its not as if you get a Christmas card every Christmas, saying well done. Or a tax credit because you have never claimed the dole or committed a criminal offence, because frankly speaking, thats the way good citizenship should be rewarded. You always here that pathetic argument "If everyone paid, then prices would be lower". Rubbish. Tax enforcement has never been higher in Ireland, and the cost of living is higher than ever. The licence fee is higher than ever. The bleeding do gooders alway say "If everyone pays....it will cost less". Yawn.

Urine or Animal excremement is extreme. But buckets of ice, flour, coloured water, are all very effective deterrents to this particularly nasty organ of the state. And whos to say you did it.

I am making someones job unpleasant. Sorry, much as I dislike saying it, there is 5% unemployment in this country, which is close on full employment, and whoever works as a TV licence inspector can find another job. I hope and pray to see the day your job will go the same way a chimney sweep, or a customs officer before the EU borders were open.

I did (almost) take action against a TV licence inspector once in Birmingham, until I found he was checking a neighbour who was particularly obnoxious (wife beating, gangsta, drug addict). I smiled and said "I hate you guys, but in this case, I'll make an exception. Hes back at 9pm, nail him".

nesf

dermo88 wrote:

You may think that these laws are imposed for "The common good", "To protect". No, you could not be more wrong. These are laws designed as a money sucking device. To suck more of YOUR money from YOUR pocket. To abuse the goodwill and honesty of law abiding people. Its not as if you get a Christmas card every Christmas, saying well done. Or a tax credit because you have never claimed the dole or committed a criminal offence, because frankly speaking, thats the way good citizenship should be rewarded.

You do get rewarded for not having a criminal offence... You don't pay any fines and/or spent time in prison and by avoiding a criminal record you make your life a lot easier.

Apart from that... Being rewarded for not drawing the dole? Eh, it's insurance mate. That's why we pay PRSI. If I lose my job and cannot find another one for a while the dole exists for me and because of all my PRSI contributions I'd be on the higher rate for a while. There are issues with people on the dole long term but this is the case in any welfare state and is very hard to combat. But essentially, you have a better quality of life for not being on the dole. i.e. money on the dole is crap tbh.

dermo88 wrote:

You always here that pathetic argument "If everyone paid, then prices would be lower". Rubbish. Tax enforcement has never been higher in Ireland, and the cost of living is higher than ever. The licence fee is higher than ever.

Eh. It's not higher than ever, in real terms it's gotten smaller and smaller for quite a long while. It's not linked to inflation (though RTE wants it to be) and since it isn't we actually pay less each year. Cost of living is higher than ever, although to be honest about it, that's going to be the case with inflation being what it is. No real way around it.

humanji

dermo88 wrote:

I did (almost) take action against a TV licence inspector once in Birmingham, until I found he was checking a neighbour who was particularly obnoxious (wife beating, gangsta, drug addict). I smiled and said "I hate you guys, but in this case, I'll make an exception. Hes back at 9pm, nail him".

So there's an exception to every rant?

DublinWriter

nesf wrote:

Apart from that... Being rewarded for not drawing the dole? Eh, it's insurance mate. That's why we pay PRSI. If I lose my job and cannot find another one for a while the dole exists for me and because of all my PRSI contributions I'd be on the higher rate for a while.

Well good for you. I'm self employed, I pay PAYE/PRSI at top whack, but if I can't find any work tomorrow? Tough crap. I'm excluded from claiming any form of social assistance for 12 months. Ah, the joys of being an employee!

Plus I'm also on BUPA Plan C, so please do explain what exactly I'm paying PRSI for?

thebaz

RTE are losing Premiership football and Heineken cup rugby, i have no interest in watching RTE , yet they suck 12 euros out of my account every month. Just because i am in ownership of a TV, why am i forced to make an annual contribution to RTE, where is my freedom of choice . Maybe i don't want to watch Plank Kenny & co.

DublinWriter

But doesn't it give you a warm and fuzzy feeling inside knowing that your minimal contributions helped Plank & Tubridy pay for their stately piles out in Dalkey?

IMHO, both wouldn't even cut the mustard on 'Alan Partridge' regional BBC Radio slots earning 50K pa, never mind the six-figure silly money they are on right now. And don't even get me started on Gerry Ryan.

RTE? National Disgrace. Privatise the lot and make them see how hard the rest of us work in the private sector.

nesf

DublinWriter wrote:

Well good for you. I'm self employed, I pay PAYE/PRSI at top whack, but if I can't find any work tomorrow? Tough crap. I'm excluded from claiming any form of social assistance for 12 months. Ah, the joys of being an employee!

Plus I'm also on BUPA Plan C, so please do explain what exactly I'm paying PRSI for?

Eh, I've VHI mate and I still find PRSI handy now and then for covering stuff outside the plan like fillings and eye-tests. As for the whole self employed thing, it's a bitch alright but that's one of the problems with working for yourself (personally I think it's balanced out to a large extent by you getting to keep all the profits of your labours rather than a small fraction of them).

Guy:Incognito

nesf wrote:

This I defintely agree with. If I'm paying for Sky Digital (for example), I'm essentially paying for RTE twice. But I cannot see anything changing tbh.

Ahh the joy of ignorance. If they abolish the tv licence for people with sky and make sky pay it do you think sky will just say "cheers Bertie" and absorb the extra cost? or do you think sky will suddenly increase it's price by something in the region of €160 per year?

nesf

Stekelly wrote:

Ahh the joy of ignorance. If they abolish the tv licence for people with sky and make sky pay it do you think sky will just say "cheers Bertie" and absorb the extra cost? or do you think sky will suddenly increase it's price by something in the region of €160 per year?

I wouldn't know tbh. I can't see the licence being dropped in the first place tbh. I was just commenting on the irony of paying for it twice is all.

Hitchhiker's Guide to...

DublinWriter wrote:

Plus I'm also on BUPA Plan C, so please do explain what exactly I'm paying PRSI for?

State pension when you retire? also, surely if you can't find work, you can claim unemployment aswell? (not sure about this though). But PRSI payments in return for a guaranteed state pension is not a bad deal. probably the best investment most of us make in our lives.