Court date for TV Licence

It needs more than non-renewal to go to court. What reason does it give for saying they believe you are liable - there are more categories than just "has a TV"; having aerials or dishes for instance.

You will need to get your dates straight.

You need to be able to say exactly when you got rid of the tv. Did you sell, gift or recycle it?

When did the licence run out?

Have you consulted a solicitor?

One click on Google gets me to this

https://www.tvlicence.ie/home/tv-licence-forms.html

Surely op got several reminder letters and warning letters and decided in their wisdom to totally ignore them.

I hope the judge fines you as it is so easy to make a declaration and you just couldn't be bothered

The tv licence covers more than a tv receiver. If you have an aerial or dish for example or if you are using a pad or computer for viewing you are still liable to have a licence.

In case this is read as meaning that nobody ever gets fined for not having a licence, that is not the case. As is proved by the cases where people refuse to pay the fine, and are further prosecuted for that offence.

One question which could arise, is whether someone was asked to complete the Statutory Declaration.

https://www.tvlicence.ie/home/pdfs/StatutoryDeclaration.pdf

"capable of receiving and exhibiting television broadcasting services broadcast"

An Ariel or a Satellite dish cannot do this....Its quite unambiguous that they cannot exhibit the broadcast, and these alone could not be used as evidence or a requirement to have a TV licence.

I rent in a two story house and there is an aerial fixed to the chimney that I do not use.

There is no way I am getting up there to remove it, just because I do not use it, and what if it was needed again the the future anyway?

lol

Phone with the ability to play video is considered a "tv" under the broadcasting licence.

Good luck 👍️

As said in post #14 above that is not the case.

You must have a device that is capable of receiving broadcasts and a laptop is not.

No TV no licence.

Yes but you could have a room full of laptops and you don't need a licence.

Your point about the court is the most important one for the OP.

Just rocking up and saying "I don't have a TV" may do the trick but then again it might not.

The OP does not mention it, but the case could depend on that Statutory Declaration. It is an offence simply to fail to complete and return it.

Note Under section 147 of the Broadcasting Act 2009, a person who, when required to do so, fails to complete and return a Form of Declaration within twenty eight days or makes a false or misleading statement in the Declaration is liable to prosecution and fine. . If a person makes in it any statement which is to his or her knowledge false or misleading he or she commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding €1,000.

And probably lots of people would say, just fill it in and say no TV, even where there is a TV. That is up to each person themselves, but I would not do it.