Cancelling TV licence in protest

wush06

Thinking of cancelling my TV licence in protest over this RTÉ scandal. I pay by direct debit each month so I think I will cancel it for July. Anyone thinking the same way?

Eldudeson

I can't help thinking that if this was France, the entire country would get together to let the government know that they work for us and not the other way round.

In the grand scheme of things, this is at the low end of a waste of public money but at the same time there are probably thousands of contracts like this in other parts of the public service!!!

Anyway, don't pay by direct debit so no protest for me next month :(

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120780764#Comment_120780764

French protests don't seem to make much difference though. Their pension age is still going up regardless of the fuss they made about resisting it.

Eldudeson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120780820#Comment_120780820

Their 35 hour working week where the boss isn't allowed by law to contact you outside that, along with the now 64 retirement age after going up would say they're doing something right! I'm in work so I can't spend much time googling everything else they've protested and won.

Peregrinus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120780867#Comment_120780867

The 35-hour working week was not secured by protests; it was an initiative of the Jospin government of 1997-2002.

Changes to the rules around the 35-hour working week proposed in 2016 did meet with protests, but the protests were not successful; the changes were enacted and are in force.

SteM

I wasn't even aware you could pay it monthly by direct debt up until now. We just stick €15 per month in a revolut folder and then use that to pay it every 12 months. Ours is due on 01/07.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120780867#Comment_120780867

Peregrinus beat me to it. It was enacted by a Socialist government IIRC, not as a result of protests.

TokTik

Can't cancel what I've never had.

Hyperbollix

I hope this fiasco leads to mass licence fee payment refusal. That's the only thing that will make this govt wake up and actually hold these RTE shysters to account....

It's far more likely however that RTE won't be held to account and the govt will just offload collection to revenue.

windowcills

Do they do revenue audits on self employed people who dont pay it

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120783831#Comment_120783831

Revenue has nothing to do with the TV licence

NIMAN

The problem with mass boycott of the TV licence is that Rte will be in even more dire financial trouble going forward, and you the taxpayer will have to give them another bail out to help them keep the lights on.

Ultimately won't make any difference, other that sending a signal. Which might do some good I suppose.

Mrs OBumble

Stop watching the idiot-box altogether.

Less advertising revenue to pay celebrities will sort things out pretty quickly.

ancapailldorcha

Contact your TD.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058302865/cancelling-tv-licence-in-protest

I bet you won't.

RonanG86

Honestly, I think all that'll happen is you'll be caught and prosecuted. And the presiding judge will be unmoved by your protest.

Mo Ghile Mear

I have to say I watch a lot of RTE and very little of the other channels (Virgin media etc). I like the fact that most things on RTE are Irish generated or relate to life here, and there's a huge amount of crap on other channels that's UK or American based.

RTE do great documentaries, current affairs coverage, Irish sport coverage etc.

So in spite of all that's going on I'll still suppport it. I don't want to throw out the baby with the bath water.

Hopefully better governance will come out of all this. But I'd dread to think of our public broadcasting service becoming a skeleton service, starved of money, mass redundancies, and over dependent on advertising revenue.

Warts and all I think it's streets ahead of the opposition, and it's ours.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058302865/cancelling-tv-licence-in-protest

If you do cancel your direct debit, just know that you won't be able to go back on direct debit until you've paid for one licence in full.

Good luck with your protest.

Whocare

I didn't pay my TV licence in over 5 years and only pay then because inspector came to door and said if you pay I think within 7 days that be end of it ie no prosecution. if TV licence inspector did come to door I seen it online don't give them your name and don't tell who you are don't engage with them walk away as if don't know who you are(name) it impossible for them to summons you.

buried

Take your television set out the back garden and literally smash the weaponised propaganda unit until its become dustbound to the moon.

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120783857#Comment_120783857

the taxpayer will have to give them another bail out to help them keep the lights on.

Likely to be more comprehensive than that in such a scenario, the government would probably resurrect the recommendation of the Future of Media Commision for direct excequer funding of RTE, thereby taking control out of punters' hands for good and all.

wush06

Went with it put a refusal on it for 6 months probably am going against the wind and will probably have to pay it all back. But for some reason I feel better about it 😂😂

Ginger83

Don't pay it anyway

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120783973#Comment_120783973

You'll have to get rid of your tv entirely if you want to scape liability for the licence. And even that loophole may be cancelled fairly soon

https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/rte-calls-household-fee-make-26026308

BagofWeed

I've never paid it. But I've had some laughs over the years at the efforts the inspector has put in to try and get me to pay it. Builders were still on site when the first of many letters appeared. I'm sure he has heard me roaring laughing when he has been at the front door.

Got another letter about three weeks ago and on it he said he observed a tv which if true means he snooped over the patio so he was a lucky man I wasn't there to see him. Funnily enough my tv can't be seen through the patio because of the angle its at and the edge of a curtain blocks it so he is lying too. Another reason for me not to pay it.

baldbear

We paid it when we bought our gaff. The Mrs gave her name and didn't want the hassle of the payment letters. It's a joke payment. Rte living off the taxpayer. And the salaries are an absolute joke.

Firblog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058302865/cancelling-tv-licence-in-protest

I must've had a premonition, stopped paying licence 15 years ago

BattleCorp

If a load of people don't get/renew their TV licence, the Government will just bring in the 'Broadcasting Charge' sooner rather than later. This will be a blanket tax on everyone, whether or not you own a TV so any protest will achieve fcukall in the long term.

Ginger83

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120784576#Comment_120784576

Many won't pay that either!

BattleCorp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120784623#Comment_120784623

They will eventually. Or it could be deducted at source if someone is working (in a similar way to the property tax).

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120784623#Comment_120784623

Depends in how it's collected and by whom.

wush06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120784576#Comment_120784576

I’m hoping it be like the water meters and people kick up because the money wasted at rte is madness.

65535

I'm in the odd situation that we have a valid up to date licence - we have 2 tv's but no RTE or any other Antenna viewing - the familiy only use them for youtube and netflix etc.

If someone told me about a TV advert now or an RTE 'star' I'd have to ask them what it means.

Spotify in the car or even youtube - Radio and TV are long gone now - it's content on demand now not content that Radio Telefis Dublin think is appropriate.

One of the family does have TVnow ? (not sure if that's what it's called) but they watch that on a tablet.

Am I in any way upset over Tubridy or any of them - No - it was bound to happen and probably has been happening for years.

These 'stars' are working as contractors for their own media companies.

I'd like to see what's left of RTE moving to somewhere like Athlone or Galway even and into a Warehouse with standard pay similar to TG4 or other channels that are transmitting.

There is a big opportunity for education, or at least during the pandemic there was a big opportunity - for radio educational broadcasts and podcasts - I mean when was the last time you heard an Irish or even a German language lesson on a radio station ?

RTE in it's current format is really not suitable for today - it was relevant many years ago but not any more - sadly it has been left to fester.

NIMAN

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120784634#Comment_120784634

Good luck getting it from the unemployed. It'll be the Water Charges Mk II

Jorge Jorgesson

I bet a large percentage of people claiming to and encouraging friends to not pay their licence, will themselves pay up secretly.

Ginger83

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120784872#Comment_120784872

Yeah just like council tenants don't pay property tax

buried

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120784916#Comment_120784916

Why would you do that if you don't own a television? Plenty of people these days don't own one. It's not like we are all waiting on baited breath anymore for what two television channels can offer us for entertainment or information.

BagofWeed

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120784576#Comment_120784576

Won't be paying that either, thank you.

paxreseuropa

Anyone who intends on continuing to pay for their TV Licence are complete and utter fools. RTE and Tubridy and who knows else have completely mugged us all off and laughed their way to the bank while doing so in the belief that their corruption would never see the light of day. There's more coming about this story each day since it broke and I believe it is only going to get ever worse.

Tubridy's career is in ruins and effectively finished in Ireland and RTE's image has been tarnished beyond repair. There is simply no way back for either of them.

Just today its been announced that RTE also footed the bill for Renault corporate events that Tubridy was still legally obliged to appear at due to RTE underwriting the agreement (otherwise he wouldn't of been paid; which shows his involvement and knowledge of the payment, which goes against his statements). This was all paid for through the TV Licence Fee which the people of this country paid as otherwise they were threatened with hefty fines, imprisonment and criminal records.

So no, don't pay the TV Licence fee! Cancel your direct debits, rip up and set fire to your stamp books and boycott all RTE programming on TV and Radio as a form of protest; drive the viewership and listener numbers down to let them know how p*issed off we all really are with the lot of them sitting in their ivory towers pontificating to use whilst they're on exorbitant wages paid for by us plebs while we are struggling to pay the bills, rent/mortgage and ensure our kids and ourselves don't go hungry, making sacrifice after sacrifice and having to stump up a very precious €160 in todays economy to a corrupt organisation by threat.

NO TO TV LICENCE!! BOYCOTT RTE PROGRAMMING!!

StupidLikeAFox

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120784691#Comment_120784691

You should buy some fancy monitors and legally save yourself the license fee

65535

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120785129#Comment_120785129

I would but the 'children' in the house have purchased TV's now

I'm sure the 'County Council' sitting in Dáil Éireann will find a way to suck more money out of us anyway for another 'broadcasting charge'

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120784973#Comment_120784973

You won't have a choice any more than you do with the rest of your taxes.

BagofWeed

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120785334#Comment_120785334

There's always a choice ! It's Ireland, we do things the Irish way so there's normally a loop hole to exploit. If the big boys can do it then I can do it.

In protest I'm not buying my TV licence stamp tomorrow. I'll buy 2 next week

Emblematic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120784623#Comment_120784623

It will be much easier to enforce payment of it however since it does not require them to prove you own a TV.

Peregrinus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120784195#Comment_120784195

That's the idea, surely? There's no point in a "protest" that nobody notices or becomes aware of; it will have no effect. Protestors want to evoke a reaction and attract publicity.

Ubbquittious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120784642#Comment_120784642

THey'll hand it over to the revenue hounds and get everyone to sh1t themselves like with the property tax

Gooser14

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120785044#Comment_120785044

Is it not the case that the barter account from which the additional money was paid is part of the commercial revenue side of RTE rather than the public funded licence fee.

Iecrawfc

Unlike the FAS, FAI, Rehab Lottery and other 'pigss at the public money trough' scandals at least with this one you can register your outrage directly by withholding your license money, action will be forced on the government, they can't prosecute everybody...

ElitesTeam

Wont be paying it when its due next month.

Splish Splash

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120784285#Comment_120784285

So pay a subscription to support it, don't impose it on those of us who have little interest in what RTE produce and resent the grossly inflated salaries paid to poor presenters. The likes of Joe Duffy is a troglodyte who shows so much bias and bigotry on a daily basis that i'm amazed he's allowed to contine on air. It annoys the heck out of me to think of the obscene amount of money he gets to listen to his own voice and only those who agree with him.

I could go on, but you get the idea. I don't want to pay the tv licence, I only do it because I have to. I don't think it is relevant any more and the whole issue should be reviewed and reformed (not in the way Dee Forbes was proposing of course). A subscription service with government subsidies for Irish content would likely satisfy most. Anything of value with RTE's name attached over the past number of years was produced by very little money from RTE anyway.