TV tax

In February, I got a letter from a government body asking if I had a television in my apartment because there wasn't a license for it. I had to answer the questions and return the form within 14 days. If I didn't return the form within that timeline, I could get a few hundred Euro fine and an inspector would come to my apartment to look for a television. If there was one, I would have a bigger fine plus the licence fee. So, I filled out the form the best that I could. It also asked stuff about aerial systems. I have no idea about that. Basically, I have a television and I pay for my own cable.

Today I got a letter in the mail saying that I had to get a 155 Euro television licence. If I didn't, I would have a 600 Euro fine for the first offence and over a 1,000 Euro for any later offences. I mentioned the tv tax to someone today (don't recall who) and they commented that since the government has tv channels, you have to pay an annual fee to have access to them. A lot of Europe does this. So, the next time people complain about public television funding in the States, be grateful that you don't have to pay 155 dollars a year to own a television!

On a related note, there is talk of making Dubliners pay for water use. While in theory that is a good idea but there is a 21% tax on everything I buy. I am not sure if the food tax is quite that high (the prices shown in the stores reflect the tax) and there is fairly high income tax. So, I feel like I am already paying a good amount in tax and not getting much out of it. I have to pay to have my garbage removed, I pay a fee for the TV, and I pay my own utilities. What does the government do with the tax money? I am guessing that some of it goes for the "socialized" medicine. That may be a lot. Indirectly, I probably pay my own salary. Ironic, huh?