Sir, – Just to let the Minister for Finance know (whether he believes me or not), that I do not have a TV nor do I watch TV or anything like it on my computer or any other device.
It looks like I’ll be making lots of trips to the post office this year to pay bin charges and TV charges. I might as well get the car tax too, even though I don’t have a car. I do see dogs occasionally, so probably I will need a dog licence as well before long.
Is this indirect taxation gone mad? – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Pat Rabbitte says that people are accessing public service content through, “other than traditional means” and that there must be a charge for this.
Insofar as this comment can only refer to RTÉ, then a quick perusal of the RTÉ Player page raises an interesting question as to what, in his mind, constitutes "public service content". Surely he is not suggesting that EastEnders, Cougar Town, The Big Bang Theory, Casualty, Holby City, The Bill (and many, many more) now fall within the definition of "public service content". In fact, the vast majority of the content available online from RTÉ does not originate in Ireland or from RTÉ and what is more, one of RTÉ's most successful home programmes, Fair City, is not available "other than by traditional means".
Analysis of television sales volume in Ireland would more than prove that it is still the means by which the vast majority of us access television services and thus, the licence fee method, if collected, is sufficient and no change is required.
Those who evade the licence fee now will evade any new charge for television access and so, the only purpose of his plan is to charge the rest of us so that we can fund those who do not pay.
This is nonsense dressed up as progressive initiative. I think the answer on this one has to be, “No deal”. – Yours, etc,