TV License fee

Maybe the sheep, or goats as the case may be, who pay for driving licences, dog licences, road haulage licences, pilot's licences, etc. should mobilise and become refusniks, is that your suggestion, refuse all licence payments to central government?[/QUOTE]


Comparing tv licence with Pilot's licence - Where the logic in that. I'm finished with this dicussion if this is the mentality we subjected to!
 
Can anyone tell me when the price increased to €160.

I see there has been no decrease since.

Here is an extract from An Post website.

What about inflation?
In announcing the Government approval of an increased TV Licence Fee, December 2002, Minister Dermot Ahern stated: "RTÉ will be able to seek annual increases up to the level of the Consumer Price Index (CPI). All future licence fee changes will be subject to the strict monitoring of performance against financial, management and programming targets."

Is a TV licience due a decrease at this stage?
 
I have long since cancelled my sky subscription, as part of cost saving measures. I still have the TV even though it's not used. I have no aerial.

Does having the "apparatus" i.e. tv in the house mean i am liable for the TV Licence even though it's not used (except to watch the occassional DVD) ?


Yep unfortunately it does. Sure if the tv man called around you would have no way of proving that you dont watch the tv .
 
Unless you disable the tuner and make it incapable of receiving RTÉ.
 
54 people went to jail in 2008 for not paying their tv licence according to an article in the Irish Examiner
 
I just don't get why you would suggest dropping the sky subscription. I am an extremely satisfied sky customer. As far as I can see I get very little for my tv licence where as I am happy to pay my sky subscription because I get quality and quantity.

You were complaining of having to pay for the same thing twice, the only way you can legally avoid that in this situation is to drop the sky subscription. It wasn't really a serious suggestion! I wouldn't be without Sky myself.

The TV licence is a revenue stream for the government, nothing more, if you believe it's anything else, you're naive. Like many other taxes applied, it has no direct impact on the service provided. When it was introduced, it was another means of taxing those who could afford it, but it has been outdated for many years at this stage.
 
I don't understand how its a revenue stream for the government it's collected by An Post and passed directly to RTE. If you suggesting that without the license fee the government would have to subsidise RTE that would be correct if RTE still had to comply with its public service remit. If people are advocating making RTE a fully commercial entity you can kiss goodbye to TG4, RnaG, Lyric as well as the majority of the performing groups orchestras. The quality of programming will also decline (The do make some good docs). Also the €70Million currently spent in the Independent production area would be greatly reduced with all the knock on effects on employement etc.

RTE would just become another TV3 showing aquired progammes.
 
The whole notion of tv licencing needs to be overhauled.

I do have a tv and I do have ntl - but I find myself more and more often not using the tv/ntl but instead using the laptop to watch documentaries/programs online - or the dvd player to watch dvds (meaning of course that I have to use the tv to see the picture from the dvd - not a transmission broadcast - but because I use the 'apparatus' it requires the tv licence).

The whole thing is out of date, there was no such thing as sky, ntl, dvd's, online viewing etc when tv licencing was introduced.

Myself and himself have discussed getting rid of the tv/ntl a number of times - but its the watching of dvd's that we keep it for - meaning we gotta pay the licence fee, despite having no interest in the terrestial channels.
 
T
Myself and himself have discussed getting rid of the tv/ntl a number of times - but its the watching of dvd's that we keep it for - meaning we gotta pay the licence fee, despite having no interest in the terrestial channels.

You do NOT need a television license to watch DVD's, once none of the equipment used has a R/F tuner capable of receiving TV signals.
 
Correct. Once there is no tuner you are not liable.

Some inspectors are not aware of this little fact.
 
Forgive my ignorance but:

Where in the Act does it state this re the lack of an R/F tuner?

Is it possible to get Sky Digital without an R/F tuner (probably a stupid question but anyway)?
 
You do NOT need a television license to watch DVD's, once none of the equipment used has a R/F tuner capable of receiving TV signals.

Yes, I am aware of this - but currently we use our (quite newish) tv - so in order to get something to watch dvd's on its more expense for us - so we just use what we currently have.

Im not even sure how or where one would buy a 'screen' that wasnt capable of receiving TV signals?
 
The lack of a tuner would stop you form getting RTÉ etc on an aerial.

If you were claiming only to watch DVDs and the TV had no tuner they could not say you were capable of receiving TV. Obviously if you had a sky/upc box then you are liable.
 
Joe - as previously posted on the thread, Sect 140 of the Broadcasting Act 2009 states

“television set” means any electronic apparatus capable of receiving
and exhibiting television broadcasting services broadcast for general
reception (whether or not its use for that purpose is dependent on
the use of anything else in conjunction with it) and any software or
assembly comprising such apparatus and other apparatus;

A laptop/computer is capable of playing television pictures (eg Sky Sports live etc) so surely this would qualify as a television set as defined under Sect 140 of the Act.

The Act doesn't specifically exclude digital signals, whether the Minister intends it to or not.
 
Yes, I am aware of this - but currently we use our (quite newish) tv - so in order to get something to watch dvd's on its more expense for us - so we just use what we currently have.

Im not even sure how or where one would buy a 'screen' that wasnt capable of receiving TV signals?


99% of monitors (PC/CCTV/ etc.) do not have tuners.
 
But where does it say in the legislation that you have to have a tuner?
 
The legislation is deliberately vague, Noel Dempsey attempted to widen it even further, but has so far been unsuccessful.
 
But where does it say in the legislation that you have to have a tuner?

This has been debated many many times on this board before.

Any device capable of receiving a Broadcast televisual signal must be licensed. Hence the reference to a tuner, albeit it vague.
 
Would it not be prohibitively expensive to buy a monitor the same size as a tv? Our tv isnt that big - but Ive never seen a monitor that size.

That may well be.

But I thought we were discussing how to watch DVDs without having to pay a TV license and not the inherent cost of doing so.

Another option is buy a TV and remove the tuner thus rendering it incapable of receiving broadcast signals. Maybe not particularly practical but an option all the same.
 
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