Cabinet approves measures for TV licence crackdown

The Caveman

So

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/cabinet-approves-measures-for-tv-licence-crackdown-1.1859135

We do not have a TV licence, but do have Sky, and watch this on our 24" LCD Monitor.

Remind me why I need to get a licence?

“We suspect some people are happily paying out €30, €40, €60-plus a month to access cable or satellite services but aren’t prepared to pony up the 13 euro for the TV licence,” a spokesman for Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte said.

I am paying for SKY, so that I do not have to watch RTE...

wazky

I would happily pay it if they agreed to kill off Tubs.

KTRIC

Just sold my TV , can't wait for the visit from the inspector so he can be told where to f*ck off to !!

shruikan2553

People are willing to pay for other services because they want them and see it as worth the money. People willing to pay more for a better service, what a shock.
Are they estimating actual evasion or is it just the usual they say they don't have a TV so must be lying?
Nice to see UPC stand up to this kind of crap

slimjimmc

The Caveman wrote: »

So

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/cabinet-approves-measures-for-tv-licence-crackdown-1.1859135

We do not have a TV licence, but do have Sky, and watch this on our 24" LCD Monitor.

Remind me why I need to get a licence?



I am paying for SKY, so that I do not have to watch RTE...

Because you have equipment which meets the legal definition of a TV set. A TV set doesn't have to be a single device, it can be a combination of devices.
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2009/en/act/pub/0018/sec0140.html#sec140

“ television set ” means any electronic apparatus capable of receiving and
exhibiting television broadcasting services broadcast for general reception
(whether or not its use for that purpose is dependent on the use of anything
else in conjunction with it) and any software or assembly comprising such
apparatus and other apparatus;

Replace the 24" with a small screen with an area of not more than 160 square cm and you'll be exempt. You'll get used to squinting at a 6" screen.
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2009/en/si/0319.html

LeinsterDub

What happened to the broadcast tax idea?

Markcheese

I've a Telly. No Ariel/ dish or cable. I don't watch tv via broadband , and no tv licence. Tv is used to watch DVDs on .
Eventualy I'll get an ariel and licence (when the kids are a bit older) .
But at the moment am I breaking the law ? I have a Telly capable of receiving a broadcast signal, but not until I get an Ariel...
Anyhow sky/ UPC crack down won't affect me 'cos I don't subscribe...

entropi

LeinsterDub wrote: »

What happened to the broadcast tax idea?

They still have that in the pipeline (of shit ideas). This is just another way they can get money to keep paying vastly inflated salaries for the government's broadcasting mouthpiece...I mean RTE.

Fair play to UPC for standing up to them. This would breach privacy laws and the Data Protection Act anyway.

Hotfail.com

The TV license is some pile of shít.

Nemeses

To be fair... I can't stand RTE.

I'm also grateful UPC respect the Data privacy policy as that would be my data an Post would be accessing.

Also, What the hell is RTE? That should be subscription based.. would like to see how many people would pay for an RTE Subscription..


This should be a poll! AH loves Polls!

Hotfail.com

Nemeses wrote: »

To be fair... I can't stand RTE.

I'm also grateful UPC respect the Data privacy policy as that would be my data an Post would be accessing.

Also, What the hell is RTE? That should be subscription based.. would like to see how many people would pay for an RTE Subscription..


This should be a poll! AH loves Polls!

I watch the Sunday Game and the World Cup on RTÉ, that's it, and the World Cup only comes along once every four years. And they still fúcking spam me with ads on their websites even though they have the TV license!

Markcheese

LeinsterDub wrote: »

What happened to the broadcast tax idea?

Either the broadcast tax is a bit further away than next year, or you make almost everyone pay the current charge (that most people pay anyhow) and there'll be less grumbling when they swap to a broadcast tax cos people are already paying same amount ...
If the government have any sense they'll make the broadcast tax less than the Tv licence (in an effort to win brownie points) because they'll be collecting more due to less evasion !!

Hotfail.com

......why don't we get rid of RTÉ? Wouldn't that save us even more money?

BMJD

I quite like RTE, occasionally anyway. I don't mind the fact that we have a state funded television/radio service.

It is retarded that I need an expensive piece of paper to keep little old men (inspectors) at bay though. It seems to me that it's just adding another unnecessary layer of bureaucracy to running it. Kinda like needing to buy a little round bit of paper to prevent making up sh1t excuses to gardai at checkpoints :pac:

tl;dr: feck off rabbitte

Yamanoto

The Caveman wrote: »

I am paying for SKY, so that I do not have to watch RTE...

You can watch all the BBC's, Ch4's, ITV's & countless other decent channels gratis.

No one is forcing you to subscribe to Sky tbf.

darkpagandeath

Odd they never tell RTE to go to a sub model as they provide such a good schedule of programing and would have no problem not getting state subvention... oh wait it’s an internet tax next. And it's a laugh that we pay multiple times for RTE as Upc and them have to pay RTE to broadcast there content...

rubadub

Nemeses wrote: »

Also, What the hell is RTE? That should be subscription based.. would like to see how many people would pay for an RTE Subscription..

+1 on the subscription.

as for your question

The associated opinion poll recorded agree:disagree percentages of 54:29 for the statement "Public Broadcasting should be financed by the licence fee."[33] Respondents were asked what level of monthly fee they would be prepared to pay to receive RTÉ if subscription access were hypothetically to replace the licence fee: the annualised mean and median household figures were €180 and €252.60, compared to the then licence fee of €150, with those who frequently watched RTÉ programs most willing to pay

If they are going to force us to subscribe against our will then at least include it in normal taxation so the cost to the individual will be less as the ludicrous admin costs and knock on effects are done away with. e.g. how much advertising revenue is lost due to wasting time with ads about paying the fee?

People already pay for loads of services they do not use, but don't go about evading tax to get it back.

They reckon 99% of households are liable, so why not charge them all, like they include say foothpath costs in general taxation, rather than going around inspecting if people own shoes or not -and not being able to do a thing if some smartarse answers the door with no shoes and can simply say he never uses footpaths and so is not chipping in.

Knasher

Markcheese wrote: »

But at the moment am I breaking the law ?

Yes, unfortunately. I would gladly, remove the tuner from my TV if it meant I was able to avoid the license and still use it as a monitor, but even then the view they take is that it could be fixed and therefore you still owe them.

Genghiz Cohen

Markcheese wrote: »

I've a Telly. No Ariel/ dish or cable. I don't watch tv via broadband , and no tv licence. Tv is used to watch DVDs on .
Eventualy I'll get an ariel and licence (when the kids are a bit older) .
But at the moment am I breaking the law ? I have a Telly capable of receiving a broadcast signal, but not until I get an Ariel...
Anyhow sky/ UPC crack down won't affect me 'cos I don't subscribe...

Chromecast and Netflix combined with your smartphone, computer or tablet. Haven't watched live TV in ages.

Daith

Genghiz Cohen wrote: »

Chromecast and Netflix combined with your smartphone, computer or tablet. Haven't watched live TV in ages.

Until the broadcast charge comes in...

Benteke

If upc gave my details away I would stop my subscription straight away and I'm sure I'm not the only one, Their must be some law in place to stop them, It just goes to show if people were given a choice to pay for rte or not then rte would close their doors tomorrow morning the majority want out

V.W.L 11

I can see the spongers going to disability allowance just to get the free tv licence if the crackdown happens :rolleyes:

rubadub

In 2007 Fine Gael wanted the licence scrapped (not just renamed to broadcast charge :rolleyes:) and to be in general taxation. Dunno what happened with this plan, probably deemed far too sensible so a non-runner from the start.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/licence-fee-system-should-be-scrapped-26332130.html

Fine Gael made the call just days after RTE received a €2 licence fee hike which will kick-in on January 1, 2008, pushing the fee up to €160.

The party's communications spokesman, Simon Coveney, said people are being forced to pay for the estimated 16pc of households that are not willing to pay the licence fee.

The current system is similar to the car insurance system, whereby people who pay insurance "must pay for those who do not", he added.

Instead of the current intrusive and inefficient system of collecting money to finance public service broadcasting, the Government could finance it through general taxation, Mr Coveney said.

This modern system would prevent a situation in the future where people who watch television through a broadband connection would be able to escape the licence fee.

Up to 16pc of households do not pay the licence fee, he said.
- See more at: http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/licence-fee-system-should-be-scrapped-26332130.html#sthash.Yhkq0Ilf.dpuf

Bongalongherb

If a person lives very close to a radio transmitter, they can hear this radio station from their central heating radiators in the home, so I'd assume they could use this as an excuse for this person to pay a TV license fee. They'll find some way I'm sure.

Telecommunications Are any residents hearing increased noise from the radio transmitter? We have had trouble in the past but luckily haven't heard anything for a year or more. Suddenly on Saturday February 19th the noise was back and louder than ever… I spoke to the BBC at Brookmans Park today and they were very sympathetic but could offer no solutions. They know what it is like as they can hear the same sounds in their garage playing from the radiator. The most common place for the noise to come from is radiators, although people have reported sounds from microwaves etc. ... In the past we have experienced Radio Sunrise which is a station for the Asian Community and the music was quite distinctive. This time there is more talking and he thinks it is more likely to be Talk Sport.”

Duggy747

Last chance money grab before the broadcast charge is brought in.

The Data Protection Act? Ah, we'll just change bits and pieces here and there....

darkpagandeath

Duggy747 wrote: »

Last chance money grab before the broadcast charge is brought in.

The Data Protection Act? Ah, we'll just change bits and pieces here and there....

Thought the DPA only worked 1 way, Can we have the minutes of the banking deal ? or any of that other stuff ? nope. But you can have our details to make us pay a tax... Same like loads of stuff here, Can we have legislation brought through so you cant receive multiple pensions as a public servant No ? But you can have legislation to take money directly out of your wages.

slimjimmc

Markcheese wrote: »

I've a Telly. No Ariel/ dish or cable. I don't watch tv via broadband , and no tv licence. Tv is used to watch DVDs on .
Eventualy I'll get an ariel and licence (when the kids are a bit older) .
But at the moment am I breaking the law ? I have a Telly capable of receiving a broadcast signal, but not until I get an Ariel...
Anyhow sky/ UPC crack down won't affect me 'cos I don't subscribe...

I would say so, they covered that angle when they put in this clause

whether or not its use for that purpose is dependent on the use of anything else in conjunction with it

Duggy747

Duggy747 wrote: »

The Data Protection Act? Ah, we'll just change bits and pieces here and there....

Ok, correcting myself as I did spot this:

Section 8(b) "required for the purpose of preventing, detecting or investigating offences, apprehending or prosecuting offenders or assessing or collecting any tax, duty or other moneys owed or payable to the State, a local authority or a health board, in any case in which the application of those restrictions would be likely to prejudice any of the matters aforesaid"

shruikan2553

Duggy747 wrote: »

Ok, correcting myself as I did spot this:

There must be more to it than that. TV licence inspectors would take names from that already instead of the highly effective calling to peoples houses and reading labels on the bins.

darkpagandeath

shruikan2553 wrote: »

There must be more to it than that. TV licence inspectors would take names from that already instead of the highly effective calling to peoples houses and reading labels on the bins.

Or like a lot of government departments the right hand knows not what the left does. And don't even know they could just do that.

Irish Aris

slimjimmc wrote: »

I would say so, they covered that angle when they put in this clause

As a foreigner, I find it a bit weird that I have to pay a TV license just for having a TV set.
I don't watch TV (don't have an antenna, not using Sky or anything equivalent), I am only using it for DVDs and Play Station.