TV License

DublinWriter · 31-05-2006 08:43PM

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 · 31-05-2006 08:55PM

dermo88 wrote:

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

I work for a national broadcaster, not in Ireland.

John

MarkR · 31-05-2006 09:04PM

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 · 31-05-2006 09:09PM

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 · 31-05-2006 09:21PM

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 · 31-05-2006 09:44PM

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 · 31-05-2006 09:50PM

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 · 31-05-2006 10:16PM

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 · 31-05-2006 10:19PM

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 · 31-05-2006 10:38PM

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 · 31-05-2006 11:00PM

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 · 31-05-2006 11:53PM

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 · 31-05-2006 11:56PM

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 · 01-06-2006 12:48AM

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 · 01-06-2006 12:53AM

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 · 01-06-2006 01:07AM

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 · 01-06-2006 01:09AM

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 · 01-06-2006 01:32AM

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 · 01-06-2006 02:54AM

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... · 01-06-2006 09:31AM

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.

Hitchhiker's Guide to... · 01-06-2006 09:44AM

also, worth bearing in mind that many of the TV channels are aimed at people of our age group, and thus we are spoiled for choice when it comes to TV simply because we are in the prime target audience of advertisers.

RTE provides a service to those groups that are not a prime target of advertisers, and thus are underserved by commercial broadcasters. E.g. the elderly, those in rural areas, gaelgoirs.

BBC probably does a better service in their country, but RTE doesn't do bad considering the size of the country.

Remember, without RTE, the world wouldn't have seen Riverdance! And, 'The Lyrics Board' wouldn't have been the, i think, most sold TV format in the world! (is this true? someone mentioned it to me once). Think about how crap Tony Hawk's book "Around Ireland with a Fridge" would be without Gerry Ryan! How would the Irish people have known about contraception without Gaybo? How would we know that 'tired and emotional' means 'pi**ed as a fart', without Eamon's football coverage shenanigans? Good times people, good times...

DublinWriter · 01-06-2006 10:17AM

Roundtower2 wrote:

State pension when you retire?

Thanks, I needed a laugh. State pension? What's that now, €80 a week?!

I should have mentioned that I'm also paying into a private pension scheme.

Roundtower2 wrote:

also, surely if you can't find work, you can claim unemployment aswell?

Not if you're self-employed, but you still have to pay PRSI.

Hitchhiker's Guide to... · 01-06-2006 10:38AM

DublinWriter wrote:

Thanks, I needed a laugh. State pension? What's that now, €80 a week?!

I should have mentioned that I'm also paying into a private pension scheme.

Not if you're self-employed, but you still have to pay PRSI.

i take your point then!

layke · 01-06-2006 10:53AM

The TV license was originally setup to fund the creation of our own national channel. Once it was in though (like our toll bridge) the govenment will try and hang onto it for the revenue it pulls in from Joe Punter. I do believe there was some blather about it between politions about "Phasing it out" but I never heard the resolve.

I just use my PC with a €50 WinTV card for the rare times I bother to watch the TV, download my TV shows or watch them on a streaming media across the web. No TV license required by law because there is not one TV in the house.

Tomorrow if RTE went off the air I wouldn't even notice it tbh. I haven't watched that station sine we got sky many many years ago.

Eoin · 01-06-2006 01:05PM

layke wrote:

I just use my PC with a €50 WinTV card for the rare times I bother to watch the TV, download my TV shows or watch them on a streaming media across the web. No TV license required by law because there is not one TV in the house.

Afraid that doesn't seem to be the case. Linky.

If the equipment capable of receiving a television signal (i.e., a television set, a personal computer), etc. is held in a household (i.e., apartment, flat, house), then one television licence will cover multiple pieces of equipment. In other words, if you have a television set in your living room and kitchen, one television licence covers both sets.

zuma · 01-06-2006 01:34PM

layke wrote:

The TV license was originally setup to fund the creation of our own national channel. Once it was in though (like our toll bridge) the govenment will try and hang onto it for the revenue it pulls in from Joe Punter. I do believe there was some blather about it between politions about "Phasing it out" but I never heard the resolve.

I just use my PC with a €50 WinTV card for the rare times I bother to watch the TV, download my TV shows or watch them on a streaming media across the web. No TV license required by law because there is not one TV in the house.

Tomorrow if RTE went off the air I wouldn't even notice it tbh. I haven't watched that station sine we got sky many many years ago.

That tuner requires a TV licence!

Then again I would probable do the same if I had an NTL Cable Broadband connection split it and use it for the Tuner Cards input.

Mossy Monk · 01-06-2006 01:53PM

you pay a license to have a tv, not to watch RTÉ
it is the law and Ireland isnt unique. some people on this thread thinks RTÉ should have no advertising. how would it survive without them. people would moan even more saying RTÉ is **** because it doesnt show the Sopranos and so on
pointless comparing RTÉ to the BBC too. the UK license costs more and also the population difference is huge

to see what RTÉ without a license would be like i am thinking Eastern European television which is shockingly poor. RTÉ actually do a good job, most of the time

layke wrote:

I just use my PC with a €50 WinTV card for the rare times I bother to watch the TV, download my TV shows or watch them on a streaming media across the web. No TV license required by law because there is not one TV in the house

you have equipment capable of receiving tv signals, you need a television license. if you had a vcr and no tv, you still need to pay a television license

layke · 01-06-2006 02:36PM

Fair enough, but I refuse to pay for something I don't and will never use.

The thing that is annoying people stems from the fact that we were forced to pay a TV license to esablish a national Irish TV station. That is now complete but yet we are still paying for it.
Mossy, that fact is a large percentage of people don't care if RTE go's tits up, I certainly don't. There are far far superior TV stations from Britain I can watch. Hence the question, why am I paying to support them?

RTE imo is aimed at older people around the 40ish age mark. I'll stick to sky and watch new fun programs.

Mossy Monk · 01-06-2006 03:22PM

layke wrote:

Mossy, that fact is a large percentage of people don't care if RTE go's tits up

granted you wouldnt care but did you carry out a survey for the rest of the population?

i myself watch RTÉ alot more than watching the drivel they put out on Sky. only the BBC beats it imo

Kintarō Hattori · 01-06-2006 03:32PM

Yes it annoys the fluck out of me too. I have a TV mostly to play games on or watch DVD's. I rarely watch TV and if I do I never watch RTE, and yes I can be sure of what I'm asaying as I never actually watch RTE. So I do dislike paying that much money for something which I don't use.

TV License

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