Should you pay for a TV licence in UK

Hi all ..

I\'m a Brit living in USA, i was watching TV last night and decided to watch BBC America for a couple of minutes to see what\'s on. This channel has commercials and it got me thinking, in UK you pay your TV licence in short to line the pockets of the BBC, other channels have commercials to fund them, the BBC doesn\'t. I\'m guessing that the only reason they have commercials over here is to fund the BBC America channel. So .. why can\'t they do it in the UK .. use commercials and abolish the TV licence ?? It\'s crazy .. the licence isn\'t really a TV licence because if you only use your TV with your games console or as a monitor you don\'t have to pay a licence for it, so its a BBC licence .. please rant people, what do you think of it .. greedy BBC/government ??

Peace

Satellite1

[edit on 16-4-2009 by satellite1]

I'm an American but here's my thoughts.

I don't think it's all that likely to occur. The reason is that the license goes directly to the BBC/Government right? ok, if the license were to be abolished and the BBC were to get their money from the commercials instead the amount would fluctuate. Some commercials would yield more money and I suspect that the license is more of a steady income.

It will never occur because its easy money on their behalf, but they've proved they can run a BBC channel here with commercial funds, it works in the UK for other channels and it could for them, i know it'll never happen but its just one of those things that pee me off
Same with taxes, you pay tax on your earnings, then on the things you buy (VAT), then if you decide to save you pay tax on your savings that you've already been taxed on, if you put money into pensions you pay tax again, you pay tax on your car and house, soon they'll charge green taxes, they'll charge to empty your recycle bin even though you already pay council tax .. etc etc etc etc . . . it just gets my back up ..

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10 . .. there i'm fine now

Satellite1

reply to post by satellite1



Don't forget inheritance tax

We literally are taxed so much in the UK.
It's a joke.... everything is taxed or taken from us.

As you say...they'll never get rid of the licence fee..... easy money.

I think all other networks/channels should take them to court.
I know they've tried with different things..... but this BS must stop.

www.tvlicensing.biz...

www.spiderbomb.com...

www.onebillionpageviews.org...

The thing that really grinds my gears, is that we have to pay the poxy BBC, who lets face it, are S#☻╫ and then we have to pay sky aswell for the rest of television land.

Drop the BBC now!!

reply to post by satellite1


Why doesn't the BBC do what PBS does here? Have a beg fest every quarter to raise money. They can also get corporate sponsors to help fund the bigger programs. Why not have advertisements to help offset the costs of programming?

I would think any charge like that would be unconstitutional in the United States. Maybe the UK can have a small tax on satellite and cable TV companies to help fund the BBC.

The TV license does seem quite old fashioned, and it should be time to think of other ways to raise money.

Do they charge money for a computer? Many people watch their favorite shows on the many sites on a computer instead of a TV.

Do they charge money for a computer? Many people watch their favorite shows on the many sites on a computer instead of a TV.

Taken from:

www.tvlicensing.co.uk...

"Do I need a TV Licence if I only watch programmes online?

It makes no difference how you watch TV - whether it's on your laptop, PC or mobile phone or through a digital box, DVD recorder or TV set - if you use any device to receive television programmes as they're being shown on TV, the law requires you to be covered by a TV Licence.

You will not need a TV Licence to view video clips on the internet, as long as what you are viewing is not being shown on TV at the same time as you are viewing it."

Mad :bnghd:

Oh yes and "you could receive a 50% concession on the cost of your TV Licence" if you or someone you live with are "blind or severely sight impaired"

:shk:

reply to post by satellite1

No way it is a joke!! BBC is rubbish I would'nt mind if there was anything decent to watch. I don't know why they don't scrap it and you just pay for what you use like cable. My friend is a bailiff and she has to collect on the poor sods who haven't paid it. I personally can't think of a worse job!!

reply to post by satellite1


What's more mad is that you need a license to watch ITV, Channel 4 etc who are all sponsored by their Ads. That doesn't make the least bit of sense to me.

Neither does the word license though. It makes sense for things like Fishing, shotguns, driving etc, but from that list you'd think people regularly hit each other with TVs.

reply to post by satellite1


The programs shown on the internet are reruns, so you may have a loophole there!

The license fees are charged to line the politicians' pockets. No matter where one lives, they find some way to take the money and pocket it.

Originally posted by kidflash2008
reply to post by satellite1

 

Why doesn't the BBC do what PBS does here? Have a beg fest every quarter to raise money. They can also get corporate sponsors to help fund the bigger programs. Why not have advertisements to help offset the costs of programming?

I would think any charge like that would be unconstitutional in the United States. Maybe the UK can have a small tax on satellite and cable TV companies to help fund the BBC.

The TV license does seem quite old fashioned, and it should be time to think of other ways to raise money.

Do they charge money for a computer? Many people watch their favorite shows on the many sites on a computer instead of a TV.

The answer to your question could be that the majority of UK's laws
originated in a 'Monarchy-island-attitude' thinking and the idea that taxes
are also a way of controlling the masses and feeding their betters.

Working-class, middle-class, upper class... once common expressions
in Britain, but now hardly used because their terrified attitude to
imigration and migrants from warmer climes.

To make people pay to collect certain signals from the air may seem
strange and I believe that the UK will eventually drop this idea and
evolve towards the US way of obtaining a wealth.

Australia has a good system, if not slightly outdated but good. I could plug my tv in with an aerial and recieve 5 or 6 channels for free, at least 2 of those channels are goverment funded(the ABC and SBS) but that comes out of our general tax, and apart from the odd community station the rest of free to air tv is paid for by advertising. It works well and i dont think anyone could change that now. But we miss out on cable and satellite, we can get it but i think its still over priced for some. To me paying for TV would be the same as paying for radio, not good.

reply to post by pazcat


Satellite radio in the United States is quite popular, especially in smaller and rural markets where there are few radio stations. I would think the companies would make a lot of money selling the services to Australia and other areas with large sparsely populated areas.

TVs are good for only one thing.....

Throwing out of hotel room windows after 23 bottles of Newcasle Brown Ale.

I refuse to see friends if they keep their goggle-box on when I'm there. Kinda puts things in perspective and makes them think.

Ever watched someone staring zombified into the light endlessly for hours on end? Call that life?

At least with the internet your typing, using a mouse and CHOOSING what you want to see. It's like 100 million TVs in one...and the best part is...we can imput and we're part of it.

TV licence sucks and is just another stealth tax and a method of recording personal information.

Chuuuuuck iiiiiiiiiiit!

[edit on 24/4/2009 by nerbot]

what a joke it's just revenue raising. Its a tax, not technically a licence. Its a tax on a service the GOVT dont even provide, the brits have been ripped off illegally for years.

You can watch all TV on line for FREE***** so why pay I say?
I don't do any foxtel or paid cable, I have a PC attached to my big fat flat screen, and I watch on demand whatever the hell I want as soon as its released.

AND NO ADS!!!!!

I dont have to wait for ANY shows to be telecast after they have been bought...as an example in OZ we are usually 6 months behind Britain and the US shows, but with Online I watch everything as a live stream ( I dont download much really) within an hour of its broadcast on tv Overseas.

Protest your fees and hook a PC up instead....zazzafrazz


[edit on 24-4-2009 by zazzafrazz]