Does anyone agree with the TV License?

Hotale.com

I don't see why they even bother calling it a TV license, RTE are paying ridiculous wages to people such as Tubs and Miriam O'Callaghan and get their own revenue from advertisement yet still everyone's expected to give them 160 euro a year.

For it to make any sense RTÉ should sack or cut the wages of all their overpaid staff and should cease advertising either completely or just during programmes. It's a joke that we're expected to pay money under the pretence of it going to improve our TV quality when it's really just a way of the government to take some money off us. That ad with the TV License inspectors is especially infuriating; it just reminds me of the bullying nature of our government.

I'm not usually even against extra taxes and all that (once they're within reason) as they have to get money from somewhere, but the TV license is an absolutely ridiculous concept in its current form.

Exo

Wait until they introduce an 'internet' tax simply because we have access to RTÉ's website.

pO1Neil

Just another way that they have of taking money of the poor & giving it to the already extremely rich.

Hootanany

For €160 per a mum RTE should not run adverts, this would let more TV channels get up and running wider choice.
If RTE cannot operate within their budget tough txxxxxty.

gizmo555

Exo wrote: »

Wait until they introduce an 'internet' tax simply because we access to RTÉ's website.

That's exactly what Pat Rabbitte is planning:

Minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources Pat Rabbitte has said a new broadcasting charge, if introduced, would not be an additional tax.

A broadcasting charge is being considered by Government as a replacement for the current television licence, which requires any household in possession of a TV to pay an annual fee of €160.

The minister said a new system is being considered due to technological changes, which has seen an increasing number of people using "non-traditional" means to access RTÉ's content.

fran17

talk to joe about it.we give him around 300k a year so he should give you five mins:D

Phoebas

This thread ....... again?

PizzamanIRL

Is water wet?
Are sugar lumps made out of sugar?
Does rain fall from the sky?
Is 5 the square root of 25?
Is our adversarial legal system–in which an attorney dwells just on the facts that support the side by which he or she is paid–the system likeliest to achieve justice?

Now, to give you the obvious answer to your question, no I do not agree with the TV licence. They say you get what you pay for. I don't think we do with the TV licence, quality wise anyway.

mikeym

Over in the UK if your Tv isnt receiving a live feed you dont have to pay for a Tv Licence.

While over here if you have 3 televisions that are hooked up to Dvd players or A playstation/xbox you have to get 3 Tv Licences by law.

griffdaddy

I wouldn't mind paying it if there were no ads like the BBC. It irks me that we have to pay tax for TV and then sit through commercials which also generate revenue, most of which goes towards keeping Miriam O'Callaghan's thousand children in caviar and designer clothes anyway.

WinnyThePoo

Is there any companies that have deals on bundles with just internet and phone?. Personally don't watch the TV that much at all these days.

downonthefarm

Never have and never will pay for the privilege to watch or pay those idiots vastly over inflated wages

Nino Brown

downonthefarm wrote: »

Never have and never will pay for the privilege to watch or pay those idiots vastly over inflated wages

We might have to with the broadcasting charge. But until then I refuse to pay for a service I don't use, unless its called what it is, a tax.

rawn

It can't be legal to tax every household with internet just because they may or may not access rte's shoddy website? Isn't that what site subscription fees are for? I mean, from a legal point of view surely that's preposterous? It's like charging everyone in Ireland €160 a year because I own an art gallery that they can visit for free if they'd like. Charge the people who do visit. Don't charge the people who don't visit. Simples?

Hotale.com

rawn wrote: »

It can't be legal to tax every household with internet just because they may or may not access rte's shoddy website? Isn't that what site subscription fees are for? I mean, from a legal point of view surely that's preposterous? It's like charging everyone in Ireland €160 a year because I own an art gallery that they can visit for free if they'd like. Charge the people who do visit. Don't charge the people who don't visit. Simples?

It's just a name change of the tv license so that they can charge everyone.

pharmaton

I think it's great, taxes are great.

c_man

OP, how else could we afford to pay market rates of half a mil for the likes of Marian Finucane? And what exactly would you do with yourself if she left, what on Earth could keep you sane for those two hour weekly shows that she delivers???

Nothing, pay up your tv tax.

323

mikeym wrote: »

Over in the UK if your Tv isnt receiving a live feed you dont have to pay for a Tv Licence.

While over here if you have 3 televisions that are hooked up to Dvd players or A playstation/xbox you have to get 3 Tv Licences by law.

Interesting, but defiantly not the case here. Grew up without ever seeing RTE, only UTV and BBC over community paid for booster.

My father went to court twice for refusing to pay for a service we did not receive. was fined each time and judge threatened prison time if he refused to pay again. Great wee island.

SafeSurfer

I believe RTE should be sold and the TV licence scrapped. RTE must be the most nepotism ridden institution in the country.

Mr. Incognito

I didnt know it had an opinion

wandatowell

I dont mind paying the tv licence/broadcast charge since I got hooked up with a card sharing box.


Life is great, especially in HD.

kingtiger

wandatowell wrote: »

Life is great, especially in HD.

Not for much longer....

shruikan2553

rawn wrote: »

It can't be legal to tax every household with internet just because they may or may not access rte's shoddy website? Isn't that what site subscription fees are for? I mean, from a legal point of view surely that's preposterous? It's like charging everyone in Ireland €160 a year because I own an art gallery that they can visit for free if they'd like. Charge the people who do visit. Don't charge the people who don't visit. Simples?

They wouldnt be able to survive then. Ryan would end up in the debt collection business breaking legs.

jonnny68

Absolutely not

_Redzer_

griffdaddy wrote: »

I wouldn't mind paying it if there were no ads like the BBC. It irks me that we have to pay tax for TV and then sit through commercials which also generate revenue, most of which goes towards keeping Miriam O'Callaghan's thousand children in caviar and designer clothes anyway.

It would be a good start, but it'd still be RTE programming, so ultimately still shíte.

Bruthal

Phoebas wrote: »

This thread ....... again?

GOTO another thread then. Simple

Nino Brown

Why do we need a national broadcaster in this day and age anyway? I already have any news, well before RTE even report it. I remember the night Bin Laden was killed, I'd been looking at it for hours on various TV stations/websites, I checked RTE.ie and the headline was a bog on fire somewhere in Donegal.
If RTE was gone tomorrow it would have zero impact on my life.

Manach

My main issues are the extension of payment for the broadcast tax into the realm of computers and that there is no realistic cap on expenses for a service that is not needed as there are alternative media providers.

Bruthal

Manach wrote: »

My main issues are the extension of payment for the broadcast tax into the realm of computers and that there is no realistic cap on expenses for a service that is not needed as there are alternative media providers.

I said a few times on boards a fair while back, the TV licence had little to do with actual TV's the last fair few years. They simply want every premises to be liable for this tax. What I actually said was that as soon as there are other means to tune in live broadcasts, the TV licence name will change, to encompass everyone within the net.


Its really becoming an additional property tax now.

EyeSight

It's stupid and a huge example of how out of touch and ineffective the government are

BTW why do we pay so much for our "presenters"? It's not like they're great(surely there's loads of non-RTE nepotists who could do just as well) and it's not like they can get a job anywhere else? Sure Newstalk and TV3 might buy a few, but the majority wouldn't get another job and would need to take a paycut - Just like most common people in the recession

mad muffin

I need a do over. I meant to pick no, not yes.

FÜCK YOU TOUCH SCREEN!!!! :mad:

Hotale.com

EyeSight wrote: »

It's stupid and a huge example of how out of touch and ineffective the government are

BTW why do we pay so much for our "presenters"? It's not like they're great(surely there's loads of non-RTE nepotists who could do just as well) and it's not like they can get a job anywhere else? Sure Newstalk and TV3 might buy a few, but the majority wouldn't get another job and would need to take a paycut - Just like most common people in the recession

Who'd take Tubridy if RTÉ halved his wage and he resigned? And why would he be considered a loss anyway?

Yawns

mikeym wrote: »

While over here if you have 3 televisions that are hooked up to Dvd players or A playstation/xbox you have to get 3 Tv Licences by law.

Wallet Inspector!

Hand it over there please. It's the law.

Wait you mean we can't just make **** up?

Bruthal

mikeym wrote: »

Over in the UK if your Tv isnt receiving a live feed you dont have to pay for a Tv Licence.

While over here if you have 3 televisions that are hooked up to Dvd players or A playstation/xbox you have to get 3 Tv Licences by law.

Its a licence per premises here.

kneemos

Hotale.com wrote: »

I don't see why they even bother calling it a TV license, RTE are paying ridiculous wages to people such as Tubs and Miriam O'Callaghan and get their own revenue from advertisement yet still everyone's expected to give them 160 euro a year.

For it to make any sense RTÉ should sack or cut the wages of all their overpaid staff and should cease advertising either completely or just during programmes. It's a joke that we're expected to pay money under the pretence of it going to improve our TV quality when it's really just a way of the government to take some money off us. That ad with the TV License inspectors is especially infuriating; it just reminds me of the bullying nature of our government.

I'm not usually even against extra taxes and all that (once they're within reason) as they have to get money from somewhere, but the TV license is an absolutely ridiculous concept in its current form.

Wages in the place only account for a tiny percentage of their bills,single figure I think.
The presenters are crap of the worst order though in fairness,seldom watch it except for sports or the odd special occasion,probably see more of TV3 than RTE which is not saying a lot for it.
I do pay the license though and can see a lot of merit in having a national station with a public service directive.Sports coverage alone for example is worth the fee in comparison to what a Sky package would cost.

My name is URL

It makes me sick to the pit of my stomach knowing that I'm paying to keep cnuts like Miriam O'Callaghan and Joe Duffy in cushy, and grotesquely overpaid jobs.

People that couldn't get a job in broadcasting if a state supported system didn't exist.

Bruthal

kneemos wrote: »

.Sports coverage alone for example is worth the fee in comparison to what a Sky package would cost.

Yea, but what if you don't want the rte package?

SafeSurfer

Bruthal wrote: »

Its a licence per premises here.

Yes. Which means the Shelbourne hotel pays less than someone with a mobile home in addition to their house.

Backfire

Bruthal wrote: »

Yea, but what if you don't want the rte package?

Rte dont show any live premiership games. We cant watch international friendlies.
How is it better than sky exactly?.....

The tv/broadcast license encompasses the house yes? As in if you had 10 tvs in the house, the 1 license covers them all?

My parents pay for the license as they are honest people and don't want to break the law. I have a tv in my room but i have no license. But its not connected to an aerial anyway.

kneemos

Bruthal wrote: »

Yea, but what if you don't want the rte package?

It's a public service(I know it's crap)that a lot of people do find useful.GAA is very popular as is the news coverage and other home produced programs.If you don't want it think of your granny sitting down to watch Fair City.

Nino Brown

kneemos wrote: »

It's a public service(I know it's crap)that a lot of people do find useful.GAA is very popular as is the news coverage and other home produced programs.If you don't want it think of your granny sitting down to watch Fair City.

People who find it useful should obviously have to pay for it. But I shouldn't have to pay for somebody to watch GAA. For E160 i could buy my granny plenty of box sets from decent channels, I bet she'd love the wire or the Sopranos

SafeSurfer

My name is URL wrote: »

It makes me sick to the pit of my stomach knowing that I'm paying to keep cnuts like Miriam O'Callaghan and Joe Duffy in cushy, and grotesquely overpaid jobs.

People that couldn't get a job in broadcasting if a state supported system didn't exist.

Miriam O'Callaghan is married to Steve Carson, editor of current affairs at RTE, formerly director of television at RTE. Miriam's ex husband is Tom Mc Gurk, sport and radio broadcaster with RTE.

Richard Curran, presenter of Dragon's Den, recently appointed economics editor at RTE is brother of Noel Curran, current RTE director general.

Ryan Tubridy, RTE enfant terrible is a first cousin of David Mc Savage of the savage eye and is the partner of Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin

Eileen Dunne is a daughter of Mick Dunne, former sports presenter

Richard Boucher Hayes is a nephew of Myles Dungan

Michelle Mc Caughron is a daughter of Tom Mc Caughron

Lottie Ryan is the daughter of Gerry Ryan who was in turn the nephew of Eamon Andrews

Duncan Stewart and his daughter Tania

The list goes on

Backfire

Nino Brown wrote: »

People who find it useful should obviously have to pay for it. But I shouldn't have to pay for somebody to watch GAA. For E160 i could buy my granny plenty of box sets from decent channels, I bet she'd love the wire or the Sopranos

Exactly.

Choice should be given to each person. If you dont want to lay for a tv license, remove all aerials from the house. Also have your static ip address blocked by rte from accessing their website. And agree to monthly inspections.

Then pay no license.

I would love to see this sort of system implemented. If you want rte, you pay €160. If you dont, dont pay.

(Not sure what to do about the radio to ensure you cant pick up a radio station affliated with rte.)

In an idealic world, thats the system i would have.

kneemos

Nino Brown wrote: »

People who find it useful should obviously have to pay for it. But I shouldn't have to pay for somebody to watch GAA. For E160 i could buy my granny plenty of box sets from decent channels, I bet she'd love the wire or the Sopranos

They're fifty million in the hole so it won't work unless everyone pays.

Vincent Vega

Of course not.
However.. this might be the first year it feels somewhat worthwhile, with most (or all??) of the World Cup otherwise broadcasting for free in HD for first time.
I don't even pay for a tv subscription, but my tv can pick it up on a €12 antenna.
Happy days

Osgoodisgood

There are 2 obvious problems for me with the tv license as it stands.

1. If you don't want to watch RTE why the fook should you have to give them money?

2. When you buy a toaster are you legally compelled to send money every year to Johnson Mooney and O'Brien?

Ridiculous and embarrassing carry on.

Nino Brown

kneemos wrote: »

They're fifty million in the hole so it won't work unless everyone pays.

Says a lot that their business can't survive even when it's the law that people have to buy from them.
Let them sink, somebody will step up and fill the gap with a viable business model.

kneemos

Nino Brown wrote: »

Says a lot that their business can't survive even when it's the law that people have to buy from them.
Let them sink, somebody will step up and fill the gap with a viable business model.[/quote

Like TV3.

My name is URL

SafeSurfer wrote: »

Miriam O'Callaghan is married to Steve Carson, editor of current affairs at RTE, formerly director of television at RTE. Miriam's ex husband is Tom Mc Gurk, sport and radio broadcaster with RTE.

Richard Curran, presenter of Dragon's Den, recently appointed economics editor at RTE is brother of Noel Curran, current RTE director general.

Ryan Tubridy, RTE enfant terrible is a first cousin of David Mc Savage of the savage eye and is the partner of Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin

Eileen Dunne is a daughter of Mick Dunne, former sports presenter

Richard Boucher Hayes is a nephew of Myles Dungan

Michelle Mc Caughron is a daughter of Tom Mc Caughron

Lottie Ryan is the daughter of Gerry Ryan who was in turn the nephew of Eamon Andrews

Duncan Stewart and his daughter Tania

The list goes on

I'd love to see a full list of RTE presenters that are related or otherwise connected to each other. The level of nepotism in the organisation is astounding. I don't know how they've gotten away with it for so long. It's a closed shop.

Knob Longman

Don't agree then don't pay !! Over my dead body would I pay it.

sligoface

If someone said I could pay 160 euro to NOT have to see or hear Tubridy or GAA sports or the rose of tralee, I'd pay. But to pay for stuff I hate? Nah.