On the Dail communications committee, we questioned RTE executives about cost cutting measures. One of the questions I asked was how much would they save if they capped ALL salaries at €200k, including their own. This was a proposal from the RTE journalist’s union – the NUJ.They didn’t know how much that would save! Thought never occured I suppose! Interestingly, if a levy was put on the giants of Google and Facebook, that can share RTE stuff freely now, they’d get loads of money. They need legislation to do this. So why isn’t this legislation rushed through instead of job losses? instead of selling off RTE (public) lands? More questions than answers I’m afraid.

Press Release- Bríd Smith TD, People Before Profit    27/02/2018

Plan is a rerun of Household Charge and sets a bad precedent says Brid Smith TD

A Dáil report which recommends that the TV licence fee becomes a general broadcasting charge to be collected by the Revenue Commissioners has been attacked by one of the committee members.

Committee member Bríd Smith has dissented from some of the report’s recommendations and says that the proposal is a rerun of the household charge and would be a regressive move.

She said: “The proposal would apply to all households regardless of income or even if they availed of the service. I think using Revenue to collect unpopular charges sets another bad precedent and will rightly anger lots of people.”Read more »

 

TD slams Fianna Fail claim that Facebook and social media are a ”threat to democracy”
Recommendations that revenue commissioners should collect licence fee “A rerun of the property tax”
Communications, Climate Action and the Environment committee member, Brid Smith TD,  has said she cannot support the entire list of recommendations produced by the committee’s report on the future funding of public broadcasting.

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