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WHEN IT TOOK office, the government committed to introducing a public service broadcasting charge to replace the TV licence fee, but with just weeks left in its term it’s now safe to say it isn’t going to happen.
This will come as a surprise to some who may have read headlines such as the one below back in July 2013 when then-communications minister Pat Rabbitte made a very clear commitment to introduce the broadcasting charge in 2015:
The broadcasting charge was intended as a replacement for the current TV licence and would not exceed the current €160 most of us who own a television pay every year.
In other words, it would not amount to an extra charge on hard-pressed taxpayers.
But amid a feeling that the public had ‘charge’ fatigue, be it for property or water, the government quietly shelved the plans to introduce the measure last year.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie last week, Communications Minister Alex White was honest enough to admit that it was done for political reasons.
“I think that all of the controversy over other charges, like water charges for example, maybe property tax, put a lot of people off, including people in the political system,” he said.
Politics tends to reflect what’s happening in the broader society and I think that even though it isn’t a new charge – it’s a replacement of the licence fee – I think we need to prepare public opinion for it a lot better.
The replacement charge was aimed at accounting for the many different ways broadcast media is now consumed in Ireland. A person can watch and listen to the national broadcaster without the need for a television or a radio.
Perhaps because of this, around 20% of people liable for the TV licence don’t pay it, amounting to a loss of around €30 million.
Despite the replacement charge having been, as White says, “abandoned” by this government, the minister is hopeful that it will be introduced by the next administration.
He said: “There’s a very strong case for it. We nowadays consume broadcast media in lots and lots of different ways. We don’t just look at the TV set stuck in the corner of the front room.
People get to view TV and listen to radio and view interviews like this in lots of new ways on different platforms that we couldn’t have imagined even a short number of years ago.
“So I think there’s a case for having a fund that is there to support public service broadcasting, to ensure that we have public service broadcasting that’s robust, that’s independent, that can produce a range of programming for different tastes and demands.”
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To me it’s simple. RTE should be the same as sky. If you want to watch it, pay for it. If you don’t want to watch it, don’t pay for it. If someone doesn’t pay their Tv licence then they don’t get access to RTE. It would force RTE to actually produce something worth the money.
Amy, I partially agree. I dislike RTE greatly myself and rarely watch it. However, in a free society we benefit from having a public service broadcaster which is not driven by commercial and poloitical interests (I’m suggesting RTE meets this standard, but it should). A broadcaster which provides unbiased information, supports national arts and produces viewing for all sections of society. This is worth paying for in a democracy. But again I emphasise – RTE fails in this regard in my view but we must maintain the idea.
*NOT suggesting….
Unbiased? Non-commercial? RTE have advertising (unlike the bbc) and run for a profit. Also I don’t think you will get many people who say RTE is unbiased. If this was a democratic country we would have the choice about what we choose to pay for. Tv shouldn’t be taxable. Sorry, I just don’t agree with you.
For gods sake it shows the angelus at 6pm every day. If that’s not biased I don’t know what is.
Amy, after my mam died last year I cancelled her sky subscription, yet because the sky dish was still in place I had to pay the TV licence, cannot receive rte 1 or 2 or any other Irish terrestrial TV so I’m still paying yet cannot view them, so, in fact if you have sky you pay a double charge. Funny ‘tho, I can still receive BBC.
Oh ye I live in offaly and without sky we have no access to any tv, including RTE. We have to pay for sky to watch rte, and without sky we have no RTE but still have to pay the licence fee. Stupid.
Another photo of Tubridy, Jeez its 9.00am Monday morning, has the Journal no shame?
I like the Angelus.
Lol.
True.!
I like the Angelus too, it has always been there and I would hate to see it go.
I like it too
I disagree, RTE should be more like the BBC!
That is to say we should use a TV licence to fund home grown Irish programmes that are then sold internationally for great profits and reinvested in the national broadcaster to up the quality of material all of which is to be broadcast in the clear to every home in the country in high definition!
Also it should reflect better value for money, the TV licence fee in the UK gets you 6 TV channels, 7 if you include BBC alba, 5 available in high definition, a minimum of 11 radio channels (5 analogue, 5 digital, plus at least one regional station that varies depending on where you live) all advert free and ask available regardless of your broadcaster.
How does that compare to RTE?
What a load of crap unlike the BBC, RTE Has both licence fee money and commercial revenue. I thought the licence fee was being challenged , companies are not supposed to be in receipt of state aid its illegal under EU legislation therefore would the tv licence not constitute state aid ?
And no story is complete without a pic of Miriam Jesus she’s an annoying cow
If it weren’t for the Angelus, I’d never get a rest at all.
The Uk has 64 million people. Ireland has 4.5 million. People need to stop comparing between the two countries. They have a far greater revenue than we do.
Tell that to RTE they seem to be able to pay their staff BBC wages!
Yes I think the Angelus gives us all 1 minutes for reflection or just peace of mind.
They could at least give us her take on the viral porno. Who would she have as her “victim”??
the license inspector asked me why I hadn’t paid..
I just showed him a picture of ray darcy…. and he said “Fair Enough”..
license inspector, – ” do you have a television….?? ”
Chinaman, – ” me no telly…”
I’ll get me cloak…
Why should I pay to subsidise the bloated luxury joke of a service that is RTE if I never use it? All other subscription services I pay for I have a choice if I stop using it to cancel, why not rte?
That’s a short sighted viewpoint. The national broadcaster serves a purpose to develop or highlight areas of national interest. Look at rugby for example. The national broadcaster paid fees to enhance the game until it became commercially viable. They may do the same with athletics or league of Ireland now.
Yes and they lost the rights to the six nations after 2017 which was literally the only thing I was watching on there despite having broadcast fee money which their competing stations do not proving what a joke they are, I don’t use it therefore why should I pay for it? And before you go down the route of “well you don’t use such and such other state services and still pay for them” the difference is Its a luxury service which is subsidised by the tax payers, it should have to compete using advertising revenue alone like everyone else OR they can go down the subscription model but forcing people to pay for it is ridiculous
“Politics reflects whats happening in society” – Since when?
The type of society the majority of people want in a democracy is generally reflected by the parties elected to run it.
Oh if only. I wonder how a referendum to abolish the licence altogether and privatise RTE would go? It might have been an essential service in the 60s but it hardly is now.
Yea, that’s in a democracy. It’s hard to call Ireland democratic at the moment when you’ve got politicians lying through their teeth before the election and acting like dictators after.
That is what has happened in every democracy ever!
My black rabbit you are in a country in which nearly half the population tunes in to the late late show. RTE would unfortunately not go anywhere if it were put to a vote.
They had to introduce Eircodes first to make it possible so wait now until after the GE
If tv3 are able to operate in a commercial model, I’m sure RTE would be able to do the same – they do claim that these popular shows support themselves, so let’s see how they do when they are not subsidised. No problem with the government operating the network to distribute content, but no real need for €160 per person to support this.
Anyone with the least bit of common sense knows, that if FG/LAB get back into power after general election. This broadcast charge will be brought in pretty fast. Because Unlike the TV LICENCE which only applies to televisions. The broadcast charge applies to Mobile Phones, Computers, Laptops, Tablets, Television, Radios, even your Baby Monitor. Any device that can send or receive a co
*communication and applys to everyone over the age of 18.
If RTE could be rationalised down to one station for news and Irish programming. I would support a small fee to sustain that. Scrap all the other fluff, especially chat shows which involve interviewing other RTE “celebrities”.
How do they pick the guests for Tubridy, Darcy and O’Callaghan.
Producer walks into RTE canteen and says You you and you pointing at well paid Z listers….
Yeah the old election results musta been wrong.
If council members and politicians put together a slush fund out of their ‘what’s in it for me’ earnings, we wouldn’t need a tv license fee. They can set it up after the clamour to deny they’re all on the take has died down.
I think the key word here is replace. If it was a new tax/licence, it would have been introduced long ago.
Its introduction has been deferred till after the general election.
Like everything else they promised
I’d be quite happy to pay for a TVs license, if the funds were used like a grant. Accessed by anyone who meets a specific criteria. Maybe even set up a station that would broadcast these productions. Rte are no longer a public broadcaster in my eyes.
RTE, moreover Irish media is really not a force for good in this country
I wouldn’t say it wasn’t introduced.. working in retail, they sent the collectors round a few months ago to every shop up Mary/Henry St and basically hit the shops for the tv fee of €160 if they had any tv on their shop floor or in the canteen… they cleaned up in a matter of 2 days collecting that €160 from almost every business! I can’t speak on behalf of anywhere else in the City Centre but I’m sure one collector had at least had his targets met for the year!
Some of the license fee should go to help other stations License fee is meant to be about public service broadcasting Unfair that RTE get all the money plus the lions share of advertising Alex White says only RTE can do public service broadcasting
RTE doesn’t get all the money. In 2013 €160m was collect. €11m went to An post as commission for collecting it. €70 went into the independent broadcasting fund where the other stations as you call them can apply for a grant, and independent film and program makers can also apply for a grant. That left RTE with €79m. This trend is repeated through most years.
Don’t think RTE only get 79 million from the licence fee A very small amount of the licence fee less than 5% goes to the other stations
RTE seem to account for €178m from licence fees in their annual statement. They also don’t pay virtually no corporation tax, as licence fee income is except and they run at a loss without this.
Call it Tubridy and Darcy salary contribution. Thats where most goes. I physically cringe at the sight.
People should be able to lodge a sworn declaration that they never ever watch Tubridy or Darcy or Miriam-and get a 50% reduction in their licence fee.!
Another push on the hard pressed tax payer would sink FG/LAB. As it is they are treading water.. Should they be voted back in, I expect to see a wrath of new taxes. What else are they good for..
Close RTE who wants it
Government ministers.
Shuttling to and fro to Montrose to spin their tripe.
I certainly won’t be paying the fee when it arrives. I don’t own a TV and if I did, I certainly wont be watching RTE in any shape or form.
AH!
The old ‘neanderthal excuse’ I have no TV.
Well Ciaran.
According to Pet Rabbitte there are no neanderthals left in Ireland and let me bring you up to date sir.
The license fee applies to ‘any device capable of transmitting a TV signal’.
It’s not an excuse @TommyRyder.
I genuinely don’t and ditched it last year. There are far more constructive things to do with my time than sit and watch complete and utter rubbish, and advertising on TV. I would suggest more people follow suit too.
I also seriously doubt that there are many people in this country that have a device capable of “transmitting” a signal. More than likely you meant to say “receiving”?
“The license fee applies to ‘any device capable of transmitting a TV signal”
Actually no it doesn’t. It applies to any address at which there is a Television Set. That’s why they want to replace it as people are using computer screens etc. to get around it.
Plenty of neanderthal mindset left though with you and your ilk.
We already pay VAT on internet bills, Netflix, Spotify & any other pay-per-use service online. Why should we have to pay another fee? We all know they wont remove the VAT.
Charge for RTE player if they must, but I’ll be damned if I’m paying a second charge on services I am already paying for.
The RTE player is completely unreliable.
Always lagging, picture quality often fractured, every time it needs to be reloaded you have to sit through the ads again.
Broke down recently during a top sporting fixture.
Needs to be brought back to the drawing board.
It’s bad when an illegitimate stream of RTE will work better than their own dedicated player.
The proposed broadcast charge will be the same as the licence fee but an awful lot more people will be liable to pay it. Laptops, tablets, smartphones in fact anyone that uses broadband.
Have to say having to pay The state to fund RTE is insane everything on it is crapp not one decent thing on it
I don’t have the Irish channels, some people ask me why, I just say I never watched them so when they went digital I never moved the aerial. I use a cheap Sat box from lidl gives me all the free to air English channels. As for the radio we stream soundcloud again now need for a national broadcaster. When the inspector called to the door I explained this to him and the fact that I the working poor he was a nice chap and could see my point but the end had to pay it. My point being there’s really no escaping this charge it like all the rest of the stealth taxes in this country.
Tv should be pay for what you want to see, the current way be like paying a supermarket a fee then paying agin when you see some thing you like.
Joe Duffy – condemning water protesters and advocating abortion while ignoring state corruption and DOB
Pat Kenny (RTE MADE) condemning water protesters and advocating abortion while ignoring state corruption and DOB.
Ray Darcy is on another planet.
Ryan Tubridy – A spineless moronic elitist wannabe that would sell his soul for for a couple of more euro.
These guys are actual skitzo Fascist yet politically correct…well their warped view of PC at least.
Shhh don’t remind them
My thoughts exactly Frank.
Like.. this government needs a reminder to apply charges?….like.
I refused to pay R.T.E license fee, got more letters so i kept e-mailing them back saying that the T.V. i have is used as a monitor for C.C.T.V. I dont know if the inspector came out ,there are signs on the gate Private Property and Guard Dog on Patrol .with a german shepherd roaming in front of the house .Brave man if he open the gate and walks in to quiz me about a license . I refuse to pay for a propaganda station for this government .How many times did R.T.E play down the water protests and the amount of protesters involved ,
In the UK the BBC has no commercials, its funded by TV license. France’s state television network when commercial free years ago. It’s only logical, Netflix have no ads in between programs, it is funded by monthly fees. Why can’t RTE do the same?
There should also be a smart phone tax, administered by the children on the adults and the proceeds of which should go directly against a college fund.
Your profile picture is perfect .
First thing the next government will do…?
We only have Netflix in my house no TV channels, we still pay our TV license.
No matter how they charge for it RTe will always be losing viewership if it continues the “traditional” broadcasting method and content. Us older folks never had internet/Sky/Netlfix/Youtube etc. growing up so RTe had a captive audience. The younger folk have so much choice now that they don’t know what RTe is really. So RTe has to change or else it is facing a losing battle…
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