RTÉ boss responds to claims she wants to double the license fee

Earlier today it was reported that RTÉ boss Dee Forbes wanted to increase the licence fee.

She feels that at its current price of €160 it's great value for us. It was suggested that she wanted to double it to €320. Breaking it down, she feels that the cost of 40c a day is great value for Irish citizens and that by raising more money they can produce even better content. According to The Sun, she was speaking to Sean O’Rourke on RTÉ Radio when she said:

"The licence fee is 40c a day. I think it’s incredible value for money… quite honestly I think it should be double that. If you look to places like the Scandinavian markets where their licence fee over double that and you see what you’re getting for that, quite honestly the content is singing. What I’m saying to you is the more money we have to play with content the more we can do."

While she didn't say she was going to raise the price, it did worry people that she would. Now, she's released a statement clarifying her stance on the licence fee.

"The reality is that RTÉ has maintained services and output on vastly reduced income and that is no longer sustainable. The current licence fee, at just over 40c a day, is I believe great value. Any notion that it be doubled is nonsense. What I am focused on is reform of the fee collection system to recover some €40m per annum that is lost to the entire Irish sector every year through evasion."