hi i have to go to court in jan 07 for not having a tv licence when i was caught i gave my partners surname and my first name now they have come back and asked me about it, i did say to the court officer that i use my common law partners name as we have been together for over 6 yrs. can any one advise me on what i could say when i go to court.
Also why should we have to pay for a licence when they advertise on the bbc and put the news on half way through a film
2006-12-19 07:05:43 · 23 answers · asked by PJ 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
i am afraid you will have to pay sorry.
2006-12-19 07:09:21 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
I don't think that they're going to make too much of a fuss about your name. Just give them your correct name and the court record can be amended. It is an offence deliberately to give the wrong details to the court and you're in enough trouble as it is.
The offence is using a TV without a licence, so the ownership of the TV is neither here nor there. As long as someone in the household has paid for a TV licence then you're covered.
Please don't be aggressive in court, as they're not going to see your point of view about the value of the BBC programmes. Just be quiet, penitent and apologetic. You don't give any reason for not having a licence, so presumably you are among the many who hoped not to get caught and the only mitigation relates to your income??
The normal thing is for the court to award damages in the amount of money you've saved over the years by not having a TV licence and then a fine which is normally double that amount, together with a small sum in costs. You can ask for time to pay. It will look better for you if meanwhile you have obtained a licence, which is the normal reaction to a visit from the TV man.
If you have anything to say in your defence, then say it. If nothing, then just stick to being deferential and apologetic. Address the chairman of the bench (the one in the middle) as "Sir" or "Madam" as appropriate.
2006-12-19 07:34:42 · answer #2 · answered by Doethineb 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You're pretty much screwed...the courts will fine you and you'll still have to pay the 'licence fee' every year from now on.
I do agree with you about the fact of why people should pay yet another tax for what can only be described as abysmal programming.
If the BBC actually began showing 'real' entertainment instead of those cheap reality shows then more people would understand why the fee is so high,(and set to rise higher).
The millions of pounds collected each year by the BBC but yet the programs they are showing are cheap and mainly boring. It seems the majority of the money collected is going to pay the wages of the over-payed so called 'stars'.
The yearly 'tax' may be cheap in comparison but if you payed up front for work done to your property and the work was below standard then you would demand your money back....
2006-12-19 07:30:38 · answer #3 · answered by blissman 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
stick to the story of using your partner's surname because you've been together so long but if they persist with the matter, just tell then you panicked and didn't know what to do. You have to pay your tv license same as council tax, it's a legal requirement, no matter how much you don't like it. At the end of the day if you're watching new shows on tv, you're basically paying for a service provided. Why should companies that advertise have to pay for you?? That's no way to run a business. Also, a tv license will set you back £10 per month by direct debit, hardly breaking the bank. If you didn't pay because you couldn't afford it, you will have to show the court evidence of this.
Good Luck.
2006-12-19 07:12:21 · answer #4 · answered by Nick J 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The licence fee is payable with the help of all of us who owns a television set. The channels you watch, or what the set is able to receiving, is immaterial. the actual incontrovertible truth that you don't love how that is spent is likewise immaterial. The BBC might want to not make all its programming in English. Many licence payers talk Welsh or Gaelic as their widely used language. pronounces in those languages are secure in regulation. Communications Act 2003 s366 - magistrates would situation a warrant to the BBC or OFCOM to study the premises and tv kit, and also you may stand an excellent upto factor 5 on the classic scale (£5,000). television licence - £142.50 fantastic - £5,000 that's it more beneficial to pay?
2016-11-30 23:24:39 · answer #5 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree that charging a licence fee is wrong when you watch cable or sky as you are paying twice,i think the licence fee should not be levied to keep the BBC in business they should sink or swim on there own, also this is an easy way for govt to make money on a hidden tax. We pay for the programs the BBC export to other countries to be made and they get paid for them the money they make should be returned to the public purse and the licence fee reduced.
2006-12-19 10:23:51 · answer #6 · answered by k4268133 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Why on earth did you let the gits into your house? They have no right of entry to your property. They work to scripts. IE you say I don't have a TV, their response "smile and ask to verify that by popping into your living room". They will try every underhand trick they can to get into your house. From "notice you have an aerial" to "sky gave me your details". Know this doesn't help your problem tho.
You have to go to your council debt adviser. get an income and expenditure statement. If your partner is still with you, pay for a licence before it comes to court or prove you have got rid of the TV, as your still committing an offence which you could be jailed for. Who's name is the property in?.
2006-12-19 07:57:25 · answer #7 · answered by naplusultra 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
From experience I'd say don't go to court. Phone up on the day,say you're ill and ask for another hearing date. The court service is so bogged down the liklihood of enforcing payment is few and far between. Even if they do enforce just don't open the door to anyone. Police won't get involved for stuff like this.
2006-12-19 07:37:53 · answer #8 · answered by taxman66 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Own up to your crime. Don't worry about the name thing - you are allowed to be known by any name you choose. And, don't do it again or you will go to prison. Perhaps now you understand that a TV licence is a far better deal than a £1000 fine.
2006-12-19 07:14:06 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can't beat the secret Nazi TV licence police, just pay up and smile. They hassled me at the door for a licence I had already paid for; you can't win.
2006-12-19 21:52:52 · answer #10 · answered by Trixie Bordello 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Did you know that people in most European countries can watch BBC programmes and they don't pay any licence fee whatsoever,why should you be asked to pay for their entertainment?
2006-12-19 07:15:22 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋