Letters to the Editor: Why should we pay the licence fee after this?

One correspondent writes: 'They have threatened me to comply, by warning of up to three months in jail, if I did not pay my TV licence. What’s sauce for the goose, is sauce for the gander! What consequences will there be for the people who have misappropriated our licence fees?' Picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

As somebody who has paid for a television licence for over 40 years, I am contemplating not renewing my TV licence this year. The only reason I ever paid for it was because it was mandatory, and I listened to threats for decades on RTÉ, where the television licence inspector called to the door (often in the dark of night), and “caught you out” for not having a TV licence. I listened to threats of large fines, including potential imprisonment, if I did not pay, so I paid. There were times it was more difficult than others, and I bought stamps at the post office weekly to ensure that I would not default.

Imagine my outrage to read that Ryan Tubridy was paid over €300,000 more than what RTÉ declared! Now Ryan rigorously interrogated far less articulate people than himself over the airwaves during his long, well remunerated career, yet he offered the explanation that it was “not his business” to understand how RTÉ decided to pay his salary. No teflon tactics can command any credibility that his excess salary went unnoticed. If he was interviewing himself he would not go easy!