There's no point improving the licence fee collection system now, the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) Irish Secretary Seamus Dooley has said.
A recent survey from Taxback Taxpayer found 64% of people want the TV licence fee scrapped, while 21% said they don't see any need for public service broadcasting.
Almost three-quarters of respondents voiced resistance to collection of the licence fee being taken over by the Revenue Commissioners.
Mr Dooley told The Pat Kenny Show the system needs to change completely.
"There's no case for continuing as we are; it's not working, it's broken," he said.
"It's recognised for a long time that it is broken.
"For many, many years there has been a problem with the collection - Ireland has the highest evasion rate in Europe".
An RTÉ logo at the station headquarters in Donnybrook, Dublin 4. Picture by: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ieMr Dooley said "there is no point now looking at improving the collection system".
"My own view is that the Government should have accepted the recommendation of the Future of Media Commission, which recommended central funding," he said.
"If you're not having central funding, then Revenue Commission option seems to be the way."
Mr Dooley said while the NUJ is "agnostic on what system is used", there has to be certainty to it.
"It is the lack of certainty and the inability to plan which is central to the problem at the moment."
'The model is broken'
Fianna Fail Senator Malcolm Byrne, who is a member of the Oireachtas Media Committee, told the show the issue of the licence fee is not new.
"We'd been looking, before the RTÉ scandal broke, at how we fund public sector broadcasting into the future," he said.
"The model is broken; the TV licence dates back to the Wireless Telegraphy Act of 1926.
"We now have a situation where about 12% of households in Ireland are estimated not to have your traditional TV in the corner.
"People are still consuming content on their laptops and phones, and we do have the problem of evasion.
"I think now because of what has happened in RTÉ... we have a lot of people who are now refusing to pay.
"RTÉ's own projections they reckon that they will be down a further €21 million by the end of the year," he added.
