TD calls for TV license fee to be replaced with charge for every home in Ireland to support journalism outside RTE
TD Richard Bruton has called for the TV License fee to be dumped and be replaced with a flat charge on every home in Ireland in an effort to support Irish journalism on a “much wider basis”.
The Former Communications Minister said the change would end evasion of the TV license as people are now consuming programming on different digital platforms other than on a physical TV.
In a submission to the Future of Media Commission, Fine Gael have called for the TV licence to be scrapped in favour of a ‘public service media charge' in belief that the €160 fee should instead be collected from every household in the State through increased VAT or property tax.
'MANY EVADING THE CHARGE'
On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, Mr Bruton said: “The situation is now that ordinary workers are paying this charge but many are evading the charge.
“There is about 15 per cent who don’t pay and there is another 10 per cent that don’t own a television.
“The idea that, in this day and age, we would base a tax on ownership of a TV, when the reality is that people are consuming on multiple different platforms is simply not a sustainable way to continue to support a really important sector.”
Currently, if you do not pay the €160 tv license fee, you can be fined up to €1,000 (or €2,000 for subsequent offences).
The funds would not just go to RTÉ but would be shared with other local and national outlets on a much wider basis.
CHANGE TO COPYWRITE LAW
Bruton said the plan also calls for changes to copywrite law on social media platforms such as Facebook and Google which would see them pay for the content they carry.
She said: “The reality is that we are now going to move from just supporting one outlet to supporting journalism on a much broader basis.
“You may say people don’t want to pay for journalism but we all need trusted reliable sources of information that can deliver and we saw this during the pandemic.
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“So, if we want this service and if we want our politicians held to account, we have to be willing to find a way in which a sector whose business model is being dramatically undermined can be allowed to survive and thrive."
Despite this, former Dublin West TD Ruth Coppinger said the wealthy should support Irish media and journalism through “progressive taxation” as she said: “Why should be people who don’t have a television pay a TV licence?”
The people before profit member said: “What Fine Gael is proposing once again is to come to ordinary workers, homeowners, pensioners, people with disabilities with a flat-rate tax which they would put on the existing property tax or else increase VAT and I don’t think that that is fair or just,”