Sir, – The Government’s arguments for the proposed broadcast charge are weak in the extreme (Dáil Report, January 19th).
Argument one is that the charge will reduce evasion. Even if this does happen, it remains for the Government to explain why those who don’t watch television should pay to reduce evasion by users.
Argument two is that public service broadcasting is increasingly accessed online, via the RTÉ viewer and websites. If this is so, I see no reason not to charge at source, as the New York Timesnewspaper does, for example. By charging online, RTÉ can target only those users who wish to pay for RTÉ content online. The Government has provided me with no compelling reason to be forced to pay for online content that I have no wish to pay for.
In addition to this, I have strong ethical reasons for not owning or watching a television. I believe that a life is best lived by actively researching and sourcing one’s information and entertainment.
Television ownership, in my view, encourages a passivity that is harmful to personal development. Good television is so rare that it is best sourced by other means, such as DVD. In particular, the RTÉ State media output is so poor that I would never think about it under normal circumstances.
The Government is proposing to undermine what I consider to be a fundamental right: to freely choose not to watch junk. I would be compelled, under this proposal, to pay for others to do so. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Before we get to nasal microchips at birth and a breath-tax, is it not time we got down to brass-tax? We could start with a pilot-project on some political chickens’ necks. – Yours, etc,