Independent Media Centre Ireland     http://www.indymedia.ie

Broadcasting fee = information fee

category national | miscellaneous | opinion/analysis author Saturday July 20, 2013 21:03author by nmn

The so-called Broadcasting Fee that the current despotic Irish government intends to impose on every household in the land is the latest full blown insult to be thrown by the government at people living in Ireland.

It shows that having got away with demanding second referendums on the same issue because the public vote was not what the government wanted, and having got away with plans to introduce charges for water in addition to a national 'property tax' - this government has the mindset that it can now get away unchallenged with anything, right or wrong.

Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte has confirmed in the Dail that it was his intention to get every household to pay the new broadcasting charge, even if they did not own a "device" capable of receiving TV broadcasts or of accessing the Internet.

Speaking of people accessing news broadcasts, Rabbitte said: "In short, everyone benefits from the availability of these services, regardless of how content is accessed or relayed to the public and, therefore, it is my view that the cost should be borne by society as a whole," he said.

There is no possible justification nor can there ever be any justification for imposing such a fee.

Any moves to impose such a fee shows an arrogant assumption by this government that it can justify imposing a charge on accessing information that is in the public domain.

No, Mr Rabbitte and your cronies, instead of charging people for this and previous governments' complete incompetence, you should look at the billions wasted by selling off Ireland's natural resources in ways that will never benefit the people of your country other than a select clique few. You should look at recovering the billions wasted by greed-driven financial institutions.

And lastly you should look at how you are your so-called 'government' are destroying any last remnants of democracy in your country.


http://www.indymedia.ie/article/103898

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