Tv Licence?

Question

I only have terestrial television so why am I being charged the same amount as people who recieve bbc 3 etc?
On top of that, are we really getting value for money? Do they provide us with quality viewing? Can you name 5 programs that they produce that warrent paying over £100 a year?

If everyone stopped paying, what would they do? After all, this isn't a goverment impossed tax.

Answer 1

I don't think that the licensing system can continue for much longer. Blind people get a measly £1.50 discount a year. By 2012 the fee is set to rise to £200. People on benefits cannot afford the license fee as it is now; if your total income is £40 a week, by the time you've paid your gas, electricity and water you don't have enough for food let alone household contents insurence, clothes or a t.v. license.
A £200 fee is only feasible if there are reductions for people on a low income, which means that for most people it'll be higher because they'll be subsidising those who can't afford it.
Plus terrestrial t.v. is going to be discontinued at the same time, it'll be didgital or nothing. I don't think that any of this is well thought through.
A few years ago it was common for single parents to be sent to prison for non payment of the licence fee and the fines. Their kids were put into care at the cost of several hundred pounds a week, plus the cost of keeping someone in prison alongside murderers; all for a licence to watch t.v. Plus they ended up with a criminal record. That was only recently abolished. It would have been cheaper for Social Services to just buy them the damn license.
You're not the only one thats fed up with it all, and as we get nearer to the time it all changes over theres bound to be protests and pressure groups; if thats still legal.

Answer 2

In answer to the last part of your question, everyone stopped paying their TV licence in Australia and the government decided that it would be too troublesome to try to force collection from everyone and scrapped it.

I have no problem paying £100 per year to stop watching the bloody adverts every 10 minutes. E.g. with the World Cup - ITV have adverts before the players come out onto the field, then just before the anthems then just before kick-off. Nothing worse than watching a good film, getting really ingrossed, then being told to buy the new Toyota, then insure the afore mentioned car with some company, no, hang-on insure it with someone else because they offer breakdown, and make sure I've got wings on my panty liners (I don't bloody need them - I'm MALE)!!

I also think that the quality of programmes on the BBC, apart from them being ruined by adverts, is better. Did you watch Krakatoa? The Blue Planet? BBC2 (Wales) have live rugby EVERY Friday evening on scrum V and full 6 Nations Coverage. NO BIG BROTHER. To watch these programmes on Satellite would probably cost you (to have the Discovery Channel, Sky Movies and Sport) would cost a minimum of £20 per month - a whopping £240 per year - still with the adverts (have you tried watching cricket on Sky? In the old days with Richie Benaud on Test Match Special (remember the music - they still play it on the radio - included in your licence fee as well), you would have expert analysis after a wicket was taken. Now on Sky it's just an opportunity to throw more advertising at you). Thank God for the BBC!!

Finally, by 2009 (I think) you will be able to recieve BBC3 as you will have to have a Digital reciever. Luckily the prices are coming down, to about £20 now.

Answer 3

that's stressful, yet additionally a criminal requirement for shops to offer info of TVs bought to the licensing human beings. this is similar to figuring out to purchase a sparkling automobile - it should be registered and so on and in case you do no longer do it they make you pay a brilliant number of money or take it away. the main nicely-known element they're involved in isn't any rely in the experience that your handle has a television licence that covers that form of television. If the names are different, you're a different tenant interior a similar development, wherein case technically you're able to desire your guy or woman licence as a result the letter. If unclear, provide the licencing human beings a decision and ask what they're on approximately. in any different case, I propose you and your companion write a joint letter to them affirming which you reside together at that handle and soliciting for that this advice be hung on document. If the two one among you sign it, it could be useable as info, so determine you have a duplicate. NB I have no criminal history, this is in basic terms a tenet.

Answer 4

Don't forget that this a charge to use a television receiver in your home.It is not a fee on what programs you can receive,after all ITV and Channel4 are free.Buy a SET TOP BOX FOR £25 and you will get at least another 30 channels.As an example what would it have cost you to go to Germany to watch the World Cup in comparison to your licence fee?Also its Wimbledon fortnight,sit back and work out the cost,if you had to pay for tickets,transport,meals etc.

Answer 5

Yes it is unfair, but there's not much you can do about it, the BBC have a similar attitude to councils and dentists in that they don't give a sh*t whether people can afford the massive expense. And no, it isn't good value, they obviously spend huge amounts of money on lots of channels that you can't watch.

Answer 6

I didn't buy one for about 5 years last address i lived at - never got done. It's riddiculous, the BBC have so many digital channels - why the hell should people hav 2 pay for all that if thay never watch or listen to any of it. I'm totally with you - abolish it.

Answer 7

In my opinion, Radio 5 Live is worth the licence fee alone! Never mind programmes such as David Attenborough's stuff and all the comedy. Programmes on BBC 3 and 4 ar repeated on 1 and 2 in any case, so just wait a while and please stop moaning!

Answer 8

You pay a TV licence for having BB1 and BB2.
ITV, CH4 and Ch5 all have adverts so thats how they make money, The BBC don't show adverts in their programmes so they have to get some money by selling us a licence.

Answer 9

You can get a Freeview digibox for not very much money and will then have a wide range of digital channels (including BBC Three) for free.

As to the Licence Fee - I am very much pro it and if you happen to be interested in my reasons then see my answer to this previous question:

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ao479Nmqrqa7i8YUjJsrQQsgBgx.?qid=20060621021912AAWbP3z

Answer 10

They have paid for BBC3 by buying cable or digiboxes. Unfortunately for you there aren't any programmes running teaching you to spell. It is a statutory licence fee in the same way as the road fund licence with statutory fines for non-payment so yes, it is government imposed.