Media

Tell us your story: Why did you stop paying the TV licence fee?

Are you a loyal licence-payer despite the RTÉ crisis? Do you think there should be an amnesty?

Have you stopped paying your TV licence following the RTÉ pay crisis? Photo: Bryan O Brien
Have you stopped paying your TV licence following the RTÉ pay crisis? Photo: Bryan O Brien
Tue Feb 13 2024 - 12:12

Were you one of the thousands who stopped paying their TV licence after the RTÉ pay scandal broke last year? Or are you a loyal licence-payer despite the ongoing crisis at the national broadcaster?

Whichever applies, we’d like to hear from you. Tell us why you stopped paying the €160 fee? What would make you pay it again? If you pay your licence fee, do you think you get value for money? Would you like to see reform? Do you think there should be an amnesty for non-payers?

The number of TV licence fees purchased last year fell by 13 per cent, a drop of more than 123,000 licences compared to the previous year, according to figures from the Department of Media.

The sharp drop came after RTÉ revealed in June that it had underdeclared fees to presenter Ryan Tubridy. This sparked a crisis at the public service broadcaster which put the spotlight on its governance and financial practices.

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Sinn Féin has suggested an amnesty could be introduced for people who have not paid for the TV licence, mirroring the amnesty for those who didn’t pay water charges.

Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould said last year 13,000 people went through the courts for TV licence evasion. The cost was “just over €2 million”, he said, which was the same amount RTÉ lost on Toy Show The Musical.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said Sinn Féin plans for an amnesty would be a “slap in the face” for those who had paid up.

Mr Varadkar said he “profoundly” disagreed with the measure, which is contained in a Sinn Féin private members Dáil motion on the future funding of RTÉ.

Tell us your thoughts in the form below. If you would like to remain anonymous just let us know in the comments but please provide a phone number for us to contact you to verify your story.

We will curate a selection of the best stories for a follow-up piece on the topic.

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