TV Licence A Joke

This is really wrong, IMO. I bought a small tv / video combi for my daughter's room, where she gets no TV signal, but uses it for playing her favourite videos. I have paid full whack for the videos, and for the TV. So why does our wonderful government allow RTE to send some joker around to my house asking if I have a licence for every TV set that I own? Sure, I pay for the set that receives a signal from RTE (plus other TV stations) but I am damned if I will pay RTE so that my daughter can watch videos.

But if RTE don't get the rights to some sporting event, they're a shower of ****

Pay the money, you miserable sod

Could someone clarify this for me.
Does EACH TV in a private house require a TV licence?? :confused:
I have one in the bedroom also. - only way to get (digital) BBC news clearly.
I was sure the licence was per household - not per TV. :confused:

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Originally Posted by sirhamish

Could someone clarify this for me.
Does EACH TV in a private house require a TV licence?? :confused:
I have one in the bedroom also. - only way to get (digital) BBC news clearly.
I was sure the licence was per household - not per TV. :confused:

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The TV licence is per household, regardless of the number of TV sets:

If the equipment capable of receiving a television signal (i.e., a television set, a personal computer), etc. is held in a household (i.e., apartment, flat, house), then one television licence will cover multiple pieces of equipment. In other words, if you have a television set in your living room and kitchen, one television licence covers both sets.

However, if the building in which the equipment is kept (i.e., the house, etc.) is sub-divided into flats, apartments, separate living quarters, then a separate television licence must be held for each of these quarters. In other words, an individual licence must be held for each separate flat, apartment, etc.

From www.oasis.gov.ie

These rules apply for the rest of Ireland, not sure about Peoples Republic of Cork! :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Fair_play_boy

This is really wrong, IMO. I bought a small tv / video combi for my daughter's room, where she gets no TV signal, but uses it for playing her favourite videos. I have paid full whack for the videos, and for the TV. So why does our wonderful government allow RTE to send some joker around to my house asking if I have a licence for every TV set that I own? Sure, I pay for the set that receives a signal from RTE (plus other TV stations) but I am damned if I will pay RTE so that my daughter can watch videos.

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I know what your saying here but the money goes to the goverment first and then they give some of it to RTE.

What Superhoops said. Either Fair_play_boy is talking crap or the person that came 'round to the door is. And it seems unlikely that the TV licencing crowd don't know their own policies...

adam

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Originally Posted by dahamsta

What Superhoops said. Either Fair_play_boy is talking crap or the person that came 'round to the door is. And it seems unlikely that the TV licencing crowd don't know their own policies...

adam

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could actually be a bit from column A and a bit from column B there.

AFAIK retailers have to get your details when you buy a new set and these are passed on to the licencing crowd* -who may or may not have their sh it together to know you already have a licence for the address. They should know but i wouldn't be surprised if they often didn't.

*can't confirm this as I've never bought a new TV.

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Originally Posted by Lionel Ritchie

AFAIK retailers have to get your details when you buy a new set and these are passed on to the licencing crowd* -who may or may not have their sh it together to know you already have a licence for the address. They should know but i wouldn't be surprised if they often didn't.

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Where did you get that from? Have you been reading 1984 recently?

I'd be very surprised if they did anything so organised.

No -it's not particularly complicated. When buying the TV you fill in the form -same as you fill in a form when buying a holiday, a car or for that matter a TV channel subscription like Sky or Chorus -and the form invariably contains your name and your address.

Think this is one for the conspiracy theories thread

now ive no areal on my house so no rte reception so im not going to pay for something i dont recieve , i have a satalite but rte should be getting money from sky for that if there not thats there problem .

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Originally Posted by anto1208

now ive no areal on my house so no rte reception so im not going to pay for something i dont recieve , i have a satalite but rte should be getting money from sky for that if there not thats there problem .

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You're mixing things up. You own a television so you have to pay for a licence for that television. The state writes off funding given to RTE against revenue from TV licences because it makes for convenient book-keeping. You don't pay a licence for watching RTE, you pay it because the law states that if you own one then you must do this. I suppose what you're saying is akin to suggesting you shouldn't have to get a dog licence if you've never used any state funded dog pounds which i'm sure have some of their funding written off against dog licence revenue.

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Originally Posted by pete

Where did you get that from? Have you been reading 1984 recently?

I'd be very surprised if they did anything so organised.

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not too sure about the whole new tv thing, but someone has their sh*t together, i moved into a new house recently and within 2 0r 3 days of moving in i got the call from the TV licence boys, had intended getting one, was just not high on my list of things needed for a new house

the same fella called in on a lot of houses that had just become occupied

it was a brand new estate so i am sure they had something set up to inform them when someone bought a house

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Originally Posted by fosterdollar

I suppose what you're saying is akin to suggesting you shouldn't have to get a dog licence if you've never used any state funded dog pounds which i'm sure have some of their funding written off against dog licence revenue.

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thats ok at least i get some thing from a dog , i get nothing from rte , i dont watch the channels ever i dont listen to the radio channels ever . why should i have to pay just so rte can give it to morons like tubirdy and kenny ,and undercut other stations that are free to air .


ill just tell him when he calls to the door i dont have a tv , id like to see him try and get in to check :mad:

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Originally Posted by loudy macloud

not too sure about the whole new tv thing, but someone has their sh*t together, i moved into a new house recently and within 2 0r 3 days of moving in i got the call from the TV licence boys, had intended getting one, was just not high on my list of things needed for a new house

the same fella called in on a lot of houses that had just become occupied

it was a brand new estate so i am sure they had something set up to inform them when someone bought a house

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Ours has been due since May - only paid it the other day. We only received one letter in the meantime. Hardly high efficiency.

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Originally Posted by fosterdollar

Ours has been due since May - only paid it the other day. We only received one letter in the meantime. Hardly high efficiency.

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If you have paid in previous years they know they get you eventually so they don't get too heavy handed.

I don't think they keep track of new houses individually. When i moved into aprtment took them 6 months to come around. I said i;d only just moved in & had forgotten & guy wasn't too pushed.

I've seen them in my apartment complex with laptop out (maybe they scanning for signals?). Of course they can't get to the individual apartments unelss someone lets them in the main door ;)

any sky/cable/digital subscribers will have their details automatically forwarded onto the inspectors - getting by the main doors aint an issuse in apt complexes - they do it teh same way your post man does - as they work for an post!

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Originally Posted by wws

any sky/cable/digital subscribers will have their details automatically forwarded onto the inspectors - getting by the main doors aint an issuse in apt complexes - they do it teh same way your post man does - as they work for an post!

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All i can say is Licence Inspector guy rang by intercom & asked to be let in. He did not use the Postmans key.

can you get a detector van detector so you know when they are about and can switch off the tv

Who remembers the old "Sponger" ads on rte years ago.

You know the ones with the big yellow sponge watching the TV and then theres a knock on the door!

Pay your license bills ye spongers!!! :p

Jaysus lads, what a load of mis-informed nonsense (with the exception of FosterDollar and Superhoops)

I work for a well known national broadcaster and one of my best mates is a supervisor in the Licencing Section of An Post (we're very popular ;) )

On that basis here's some facts -

1) The TV licence is nothing to do with RTÉ. As explained above it's a government licence - collected by An Post with some of it passed onto RTÉ and some going to independent producers. TV3 refuse to take any of it as they reckon it would compromise their independence. It's purpose is to help fund public service broadcasting.

2) Again, as explained above, the licence is to cover your household NOT each TV in the house.

3) There is nobody passing on names and addresses to An Post. They work of the electoral register. We haven't yet arrived at Big Brother style government, although McDowell may be working on it as we speak. No retailer is obliged to hand over that information.

KOH

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Originally Posted by WeAreRovers

3) There is nobody passing on names and addresses to An Post. They work of the electoral register. We haven't yet arrived at Big Brother style government, although McDowell may be working on it as we speak. No retailer is obliged to hand over that information.

KOH

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As someone who worked in TV Licence Administration I can categorically refute WAR's third point.

As part of the legislation Wirelsss Telegraphy Act 1926, Broadcasting Act 1988 et al, retailers or renters of Wireless Apparatus, capable of receiving or being modifed to receive radiowaves within a certain spectrum are legally obliged to furnish details of all those who purchase said equipment. It rarely happens these days.

There are statutory requirements along with Ministerial Orders which requires others to furnish details of possible premises where TV's can be found.

It's not only the electoral register which is used for tracking. BTW it is an individual premises which is required to be licensed not the householder, thus for example hotels only need one licence.

have to say i am happy enough with rte.
for €150 i get good news coverage, bag loads of sport throughout the year and the odd decent film scattered in. Some better music programmes would be preferable. Granted, there is a lot of tripe on it too, but enough decent programming to substantiate the licence fee
i would not like to be depending on tv3 for their tabloidesque news.

wouldnt dream of paying murdoch €30/month (or whatever it is) for their sky coverage either. football shown on rte is sufficient. for additional football i prefer to go to the local club games, or hit the pub for some epl games.

I'd be happier to pay it if there was a properly conducted charter for the viewing/listening public.

Soccerc - I've no idea about the legal requirement but my mate in An Post only works off the electoral register - they have no other information.

For instance they have no proper list of businesses with TVs. Mind you he has tried to bust Bohs and Shels at various times. Unfortunately Bohs had a licence and Shels quickly went out and bought one. ;)

As you probably know, the Licencing section of An Post is where they dump the drunks, wasters and general ne'er do wells (my buddy not included of course) so it's not surprising that they have no resources either.

An Post will lose the Licence collection soon enough anyway. The ESB is the best bet for collection.

KOH