IRELAND
Irish Independent
By JEROME REILLY
Sunday May 06 2012
THE record fine of €200,000 imposed on RTE over the Fr Reynolds fiasco will end up in the hands of Finance Minister Michael Noonan.
According to Section 55 of the 2009 Broadcasting Act all fines made to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) have to be paid into or disposed of for the benefit of the Exchequer “in such manner as the Minister for Finance may direct”.
The BAI had the option of imposing a fine of up to €250,000, but the sanction against the national broadcaster is still the biggest ever.
With RTE already facing a financial crisis, it will ultimately be the taxpayer who will have to pay the fine via the TV licence fee.
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