Tv licence - i dont own a tv..

Poor Uncle Tom · 04-09-2011 10:01AM

You could always just render the TV incapable of processing a signal.

paddyandy · 04-09-2011 03:06PM

Musicman2006 I doubt very much they'll take you to court without evidence.

Dermighty · 04-09-2011 03:17PM

Women are bitches.

Daniel S · 04-09-2011 10:25PM

I've a 25" TV being used as my computer monitor, not hooked up to the tv or anything. I'm going to college tomorrow (the apartment has a tv), will I need a tv license?

IRLConor · 04-09-2011 10:30PM

Mike 1972 wrote: »

Deactivated firearms dont require a licence.

Not quite true. You still need written permission from your local Garda Superintendent. Deactivated firearms are still considered firearms in law, they're just slightly easier to get permission to own.

Section 6 of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act 1990 has the details.

few cans? · 04-09-2011 10:33PM

do you have to pay for a license if your using a coat hanger as an aerial?

gbee · 05-09-2011 11:14AM

few cans? wrote: »

do you have to pay for a license if your using a coat hanger as an aerial?

Yes, the TV receives signals and it does not in fact need an antenna to do so, ergo, you need a licence.

If one were close enough to a transmitter the signal strength could be strong enough to give a picture without an antenna.

What the antenna does is gather more signal and channel it to the input plug on the receiver. Some antenna design will also amplify the signal as well as being directional and so on.

But for the purpose of the licence the ability to receive a signal is the important part ~ as already mentioned even a TV that is not actually working requires a licence, so for licence purposes, your antenna is not a consideration.

4leto · 05-09-2011 11:49AM

To pay a TV licence or not to pay a TV licence, it doesn't really matter what your opinion is on the matter the fact is, its the law.

So if you have a TV and you choose not to get a TV licence you take a chance, you roll a dice. Which is fair enough as long as you understand you are taking a chance with perhaps moral or painful financial consequences.

But one thing I don't understand is peoples derision towards the people employed to enforce this law. The TV licence inspectors like parking or litter wardens are only doing their job. I say good luck to them with that.

grundie · 05-09-2011 12:10PM

Just wondering, but if you don't need a licence can't you just write a letter to An Post telling them to keep their licence inspectors away from your house/flat/etc?

Sort of...

"Sorry I don't own a TV. I am also notifying you that your inspectors my not approach my premises. If any of your inspectors do call to my house I will consider it harrasment and tresspass and will take appropriate action" etc, etc.

4leto · 05-09-2011 12:11PM

grundie wrote: »

Just wondering, but if you don't need a licence can't you just write a letter to An Post telling them to keep their licence inspectors away from your house/flat/etc?

Sort of...

"Sorry I don't own a TV. I am also notifying you that your inspectors my not approach my premises. If any of your inspectors do call to my house I will consider it harrasment and tresspass and will take appropriate action" etc, etc.

They wont believe you,

But worth a try, ##drafting letter now##

grundie · 05-09-2011 12:18PM

4leto wrote: »

But one thing I don't understand is peoples derision towards the people employed to enforce this law. The TV licence inspectors like parking or litter wardens are only doing their job. I say good luck to them with that.

My wife had an 'uncomfortable' experience with a TV licence inspector once. He called to the flat when she was in alone with the baba. He said he was doing a survey on behalf of the Post Office and could he take her name. She gave it to him and he then asked why she didn't have a licence. She replied (truthfully) that we didn't have a TV. He then asked to have a look around the flat. He said "If you don't have TV then you have nothing to worry about". She felt pressured and a little intimidated by the way he was speaking and closed the door on him. We did write a letter of complaint but got a boilerplate response along the lines of we have to be firm with potential licence evaders etc, etc.

grundie · 05-09-2011 12:22PM

4leto wrote: »

They wont believe you,

But worth a try, ##drafting letter now##

I know they won't, but if you tell them not to come on to your property they cannot ignore that.

Just make sure you exclude the actual postman from the request.

gbee · 05-09-2011 12:30PM

4leto wrote: »

The TV licence inspectors like parking or litter wardens are only doing their job. .

So were the German soldiers ~ we no longer accept this excuse..

Dyr · 05-09-2011 12:59PM

4leto wrote: »

But one thing I don't understand is peoples derision towards the people employed to enforce this law. The TV licence inspectors like parking or litter wardens are only doing their job. I say good luck to them with that.

I dunno, if I saw a TV licence inspector being rolled up in a carpet and bet with hurleys, I'm not sure I'd intervene.

Unless asking the culprits for a go of one of their hurl's is considered intervening

4leto · 05-09-2011 01:05PM

Fair enough but would you rather they just took the PS tax payers money and did nothing.

paddyandy · 05-09-2011 01:13PM

The Television is UNconstitutional and i will quote my Bunrach na he. later.

gbee · 05-09-2011 01:17PM

4leto wrote: »

Fair enough but would you rather they just took the PS tax payers money and did nothing.

Pay per view.

Watch RTE pay a portion of the fee.

RTE have it every way ~ licence, advertising, news and so on.

I hardy ever watch RTE ~ a few exceptions here and there but generally I just don't find their programming that interesting on a day to day level.

But I have to pay the same licence as the person who would watch it all day every day.

MungBean · 05-09-2011 01:44PM

gbee wrote: »

Pay per view.

Watch RTE pay a portion of the fee.

RTE have it every way ~ licence, advertising, news and so on.

I hardy ever watch RTE ~ a few exceptions here and there but generally I just don't find their programming that interesting on a day to day level.

But I have to pay the same licence as the person who would watch it all day every day.

Yeah but you direct your anger, concern at your local TD and lobby for a change. To call inspectors Nazi,s for doing a job is stupid. This isnt Nazi's Germany, they are not rounding up people to execute. The licence is enforceable by law a law which is accepted by the people of this country. If it wasnt people would be up in arms and it would be changed.

Seeing as so many people here have issue with the licence I wonder how many of you have contacted your local TD ? Organised a protest ? Done anything other that pay it and moan about it afterwards or ignored it and hope to get away with it.

Seems to be a lot of this freeman perspective that its unconstitutional, they have no rights, you dont have to do anything. Yet I never seen any sort of movement to fight the licence other than individuals boasting about how they told the inspector off at their door and never got/paid a fine.

4leto · 05-09-2011 01:47PM

gbee wrote: »

Pay per view.

Watch RTE pay a portion of the fee.

RTE have it every way ~ licence, advertising, news and so on.

I hardy ever watch RTE ~ a few exceptions here and there but generally I just don't find their programming that interesting on a day to day level.

But I have to pay the same licence as the person who would watch it all day every day.

I use to say the same till I actually thought about it and I watch probably more |RTE then any other station.
The 6.1 news, Primetime,
The GAA, The soccer and the rest of the excellent RTE sport menu
Then the host of American drama which always seems to be first on RTE
Radio RTE still has the highest ratings for morning time and afternoon listening as in Joe "poxy" Duffy (not a fan)

So clearly they doing something right

But I agree the TV/radio market has changed I can see a time coming when it will be all pay per view and RTE will look like one of those moronic satelite stations or TV3 with no local or cultural content and just American cop and doc shows.

I think Ireland would be a poorer place without RTE, but at present it seems a wasteful and a bad value for money organisation. The licence fee, is to high.

Mike 1972 · 05-09-2011 02:29PM

grundie wrote: »

My wife had an 'uncomfortable' experience with a TV licence inspector once. He called to the flat when she was in alone with the baba. He said he was doing a survey on behalf of the Post Office and could he take her name. She gave it to him and he then asked why she didn't have a licence. She replied (truthfully) that we didn't have a TV. He then asked to have a look around the flat. He said "If you don't have TV then you have nothing to worry about".

So having lied once about who he was and his purpose in being there she is expected to believe him ?

And then we had a poster questioning why those who hold such a loathsome occupation are generally held in such low regard.......

Buddinplant · 05-09-2011 02:31PM

you know you can just ring them up and tell them you've no tv. granted they will probably send someone out, but i did it, and no one has called yet. (got rid of tv before i rang them. was sick of getting license demands, and housemates not willing to fork out for it)

Galtee · 05-09-2011 02:36PM

gbee wrote: »

Pay per view.

Watch RTE pay a portion of the fee.

RTE have it every way ~ licence, advertising, news and so on.

I hardy ever watch RTE ~ a few exceptions here and there but generally I just don't find their programming that interesting on a day to day level.

But I have to pay the same licence as the person who would watch it all day every day.

Pay per view is a brilliant idea and there's no reason why it couldn't be done however, they would most likely abuse it and it would end up costing about 5 euro to watch the news. The issues I have with the TV licence is

1) They're getting paid huge amounts for adverts so why do they need the TV LIcence.

2) Exorbitent salaries that are being paid to the likes of Ryan Tubridy and Pat Kenny et al.

3) The quality of the TV is terrible

smash · 05-09-2011 02:39PM

I'd happily pay my license if they promise to axe fair city. I can't stand the fact that the license pays the salaries of the 'actors' on that show. Like I said to a friend before "saying your an actor on fair city is like saying your an athlete in the Special Olympics"

drunkymonkey · 05-09-2011 03:00PM

Am i right in thinking if i have a Sky subscription only then that is automatic evidence that i own a TV and gives then proof to definitely say i need to pay the license?

u_c_thesecond · 05-09-2011 03:04PM

i relly hate havn to get the tv licence, it breaks my heart really- a pointless tax for ****e RTE channels!:mad: and what kills me is i know plenty of people who havnt paid in years and nothing is ever said to them, 2 years ago i was 2 weeks late paying mine and id a ****ing inspector at the door

robbing bastards!

Mike 1972 · 05-09-2011 03:27PM

drunkymonkey wrote: »

Am i right in thinking if i have a Sky subscription only then that is automatic evidence that i own a TV and gives then proof to definitely say i need to pay the license?

$ky/cable subscriptions may be covered by the data protection act (Ive heard differing interpetations on this one) however I cant imagine a situation why a non-TV owner would have a $ky sub (unless its for one of their streaming/online player thingys)

phantom_lord · 05-09-2011 05:49PM

Daithi 1 wrote: »

You are missing one important point. It is you constitutional right to say nothing, you are advised to say nothing, yet.

Under what article?

grundie · 06-09-2011 12:15PM

Mike 1972 wrote: »

So having lied once about who he was and his purpose in being there she is expected to believe him ?

And then we had a poster questioning why those who hold such a loathsome occupation are generally held in such low regard.......

Aparently he managed to nab a few others in this way. The three other flats on our floor reported that he pulled the same trick with them.

The reposnse we got from An Post actually said that he was correct in saying he was an An Post employee and was conducting a survey. In other words, they were admitting their inspectors use semantics to trick people.

paddyandy · 06-09-2011 12:27PM

I have found most television as a sort of empty pleasure that leaves me tired.It is unreal.

bonerjams03 · 06-09-2011 12:57PM

The use of License is annoying me.

Soon we'll all be saying color.

Tv licence - i dont own a tv..

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