This is quick reminder that RTE and the government have been working on changing legislation to also include smartphones and laptops under the TV licence requirements.
Why are they looking to do this?
– People outright refusing to pay the TV licence both before and now after the recent Revelations.
– Renters / people living in shared accommodation refusing to pay the TV licence.
– The majority of people under 35yo in this country still live at home and don’t pay the licence fee.
– TV broadcasting is becoming obsolete and neither RTE nor the government can continue enforcing the current TV licence on Irish households forever.
If this change is made, everyone would be obligated to pay for a TV license, and the fee could be deducted directly from your salary via revenue.
So if you think you’re Gucci by bragging about never having paid, just give it another year or two and watch the slimy D4 fuckers withdraw their welfare from your salary.
Don’t be naive in thinking that the recent scandal will stop this. It only just delayed the inevitable. They will absolutely push for this once things have calmed down and you’re outraged about something else. The very fact that more people will be boycotting the licence fee is reason enough for the government to push ahead with the change.
So wtf are we going to do about it?
Inb4 “hurr Durr, yOu gOT a SaUce for dat craZy wiCKlow MaN?”
Here’s your source:
> 12 Jul 2022 – Laptops, tablets and smartphone owners could all soon be stung with TV licence fees. A new taskforce on the future of the TV licence has until November to report back to Media Minister Catherine Martin with ways to increase the annual take from the licence fees.
> 16 Feb 2022 – The Revenue Commissioners would be asked to collect the television licence fee in the future under a proposal to be considered later this month by Ministers. The move aims to bolster funding for public service broadcasting and reduce the numbers not paying the charge, with the rate of evasion estimated to be running at about 15 per cent. RTÉ believes it misses out on €50m a year due to non-payment of fee by 15% of viewers.
– [Source 1](https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/proposal-for-revenue-to-collect-tv-licence-to-be-considered-1.4803523)
– [Source 2](https://independent.ie/regionals/herald/new-tv-licence-fee-to-watch-netflix-on-your-tablet-or-smartphone/38367524.html)
– [Source 3](https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/owners-laptops-tablets-smartphones-could-27463473)
– [Source 4](https://www.joe.ie/news/government-announces-major-reforms-tv-licence-include-smartphones-laptops-677183)
– [Source 5](https://extra.ie/2022/07/12/news/laptop-tablet-and-smartphone-users)
by Divine_Tiramisu
10 comments
As long as it’s spent enriching talentless nepo gobshites in the traditional Irish way then it’s ok by me
This plan has indeed been in the offing for some time.
The budget surplus for the next several years is in the billions. RTE, especially a paired down and well run RTE, could easily be afforded by the state.
The problem is that RTE and our political class is riddled by greed and cute hoorism. They wouldn’t know morals if their life depended on it. All they see is a way to leverage an existing bullshit fee into something so broad-ranging that they can take nearly 200 quid a year off everyone on the island.
RTE are utterly corrupt and are only interested in the top people getting rich through slush funds and whatever scams they can pull with perks and benefits. Meanwhile the politicians love the idea of a state broadcaster that is also a revenue earner for them while simultaneously having to bow to their bullshit under the threat of having funding cut.
It’s so fucking Irish; get rich quick and shaft everyone who isn’t yourself.
Fucking end RTE and leave us with a news channel
Government have been fighting increasing the fee and changing funding to direct funding for a long time. RTE have been crying out for it for years.
This event is ideal for the government and their approach to RTE.
If they half the TV licence and reorganized RTE to remove all the cruft I’d be fine with it
If they thought the water march was big then wait for this. I can’t see people taking this lying down. A family with two adult child living at home would be paying 800+ a year for Rte
If anything the current shit show at RTÉ has set this back years.
It was always going to be a tough one to get over the line but now, after all that has come out?
Enough with the philosophy of FFG that the citizens of the country are simply a herd to be driven, nudged, barked at, preached at and silenced in any direction they see fit.
Germany takes a Media fee from everyone who’s working
Even if it was brought it it would still remain a household charge and not a device charge.
It would only impact about 1% of the population that doesn’t have a TV.