Proposal for Revenue to take over collection of TV licence fee

There is a proposal for the Revenue to take over collecting the TV licence fee from An Post.

It is part of an Oireachtas report which aims to tackle evasion and raise an additional €30 million a year.

Earlier this week, the Communications Minister Denis Naughten ruled out introducing a laptop levy instead of the licence fee.

Former Communication Minister Pat Rabbitte says it Revenue’s role isn’t to collect bills.

"The Revenue’s job is to collect taxes and it is a government department that does a particularly good job," said Mr Rabbitte.

"It is not to collect utility fees for State companies or any company. You might as well say ’why don’t they collect the ESB charge’.

"So I think the Revenue commissioners will draw a line. The property tax, at the end of the day, is a tax. This is a utility bill."