TV License - Decriminalisation of Non-Payment .

[Gladys]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2576192/TV-licence-dodgers-wont-prosecuted-refuse-pay-dealt-civil-courts-instead.html

With all of the repeats on the BBC I would think its high time this happened. Also, the fact that other programs are available on phones and mobile devices now, an update is required in my view.

[rebbonk]

I think it high time that the outdated tax was scrapped. The BBC was once a trustworthy news source, nowadays it is very selective in what it reports.

I also believe that quite a high percentage of the UK female prison population are incarcerated for TV license related "crimes".

[Margaret]

Will they still have tv enforcement officers paying a visit knocking at your door, or sending threatening letters to folk that don't have a telly?
Good riddance to that lot!

[Gladys]

Probably more of them as enforcing payment if non payment no longer carries a custodial sentence will need a bigger workforce. I read that it will be treated rather like parking fines are.

[rebbonk]

tv enforcement officers paying a visit knocking at your door, or sending threatening letters to folk that don't have a telly?

They hounded my late grandfather for years. He refused to have a TV in the house, I think he described them as instruments of the Devil. But TVL would never believe him and were regularly sending letters and investigators up to just before his untimely death. He'd even let these "investigators" in to see that he hadn't got a TV, but they still wouldn't believe him!

Just as an aside, I don't believe anyone in the UK has ever been convicted of using a TV without a licence on the the evidence of a detector van. If that was the case, TVL would have to divulge how they work so that the evidence may be tested in court. From my investigations, most people convicted have simply incriminated themselves, which is silly really when you consider that TVL operatives actually have no power to force you to talk to them in the first place!

[Gladys]

I thought those vans were equipped with gizmos that can tell exactly where a signal is coming from and then if the household has a license. The article says there are about 70 people committed to her Majesty's Pleasure each year for not having a license. What a waste of HM's Pleasure when there are myriads of burglars, robbers, thieves and the like walking around with a tag at their own pleasure.

[rebbonk]

Gladys,

I think you'll find most of those vans are empty!

I actually believe that this is one big con. I worked in avionics for a few years and I know that the best that the RAF had couldn't match most of the claims about TV detection. The theory was sound, but in practice to get an accurate positioning requires a little more than one van with a couple of aerials a few feet apart.

And if you think about it, if they had these remarkable facilities they wouldn't need to send you so many threatening letters or employ so many goons to go knocking on people's doors.

[Margaret]

So folks like myself who don't own a tv are forever pestered by the enforcement officers coming to the door and stating the obvious like...........duhh! you haven't got a tv licence at this address blah, blah, to which I curtly reply,
that's because we don't have a tv!. Sometimes I don't even bother answering the door, because my husband gets ratty with them, but that doesn't deter them. I am sick and tired of being harassed by them, for at least 20 years telling them, I don't have a telly. I have never, ever, let them in to check and I am damn sure they won't snoop around my home.
They say they will take note and not bother us , but of course they will, that is what they love doing.

[rebbonk]

I can honestly say that if it wasn't for Mrs Rebbonk, there wouldn't be a TV in this house. I can't remember the last time I actually watched a programme all the way through. Anything I need can be viewed via the internet, without the need for a licence.

[Gladys]

Margaret and Rebbonk, I celebrate your stand against the ' Establishment.' Well done. I also didn't have a TV for many years and what a lovely ,calm family interactive time that was; when my two children were small. I'd go with out one now but for the fact Mr G wouldn't- he's never done this experiment in life but who knows- he may learn! I had the talk with a friend on this today having posted it. She says she'll now never pay her license and will now watch and wait to see what they do about it. I know people who live in the Far EU/ Africa/ Australian continents and they tune in to British TV daily with Breakfast BBC Tv and the 'Other ' channel- they don't pay a fee so why should I?

[rebbonk]

Gladys,

I got into a discussion with a couple of Indian guys on a forum about the TV licence. They were absolutely dumbfounded that we had to pay a licence to watch TV. They couldn't believe just how vigorously the authorities chased people and the potential penalties for not having one.

You are right about abroad. I've worked around most of Europe and a fair portion of the Middle East, BBC is freely available...

[Gladys]

My license is due at the end of March and I'm in a quandary as to what to do ie whether to ignore the renewal notice or bite the bullet and do it.

[Margaret]

Probably the reason they don't pay licence to watch BBC abroad is because the programmes are interrupted every five minutes with inane adverts. I would hate that.

Gladys, I think tv licence is free over the age of 75, you may not be that old yet, so maybe it's best to keep up the licence at present.
As Rebbonk says, the internet is adequate for news, plus we have radio as well.
At least that way we can choose what we want and not be bombarded with stuff we don't want.

[rebbonk]

Just to add to the debate, you might want to look here at the rest of Europe...

EU TVL (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_licence#Europe)

[Dun Scotus]

Just a few words on the BBC and the licence fee.
The licence fee as it stands cannot really survive much longer. There are lots of reasons for this including the scandals, the huge criticisms that the corporation is receiving, the Savile business where the claims from victims may well run into 10's of millions.
The other thing is that there seems to be fairly widescale evasion of paying the licence fee, that is people breaking the law and it's not clear that this money is being recouped. There is a moral hazard point, that people who are decent and are paying their licence fee, in effect are being penalized.
I just don't think the government will allow the BBC to go commercial, because it is just too important in terms of the media and broadcasting.
So what will they do? my own view is that it will have to be put onto and absorbed in income tax in some way. I think this will be packaged in such a way that the government will sell it on the basis of offering some other kind of incentive to do with the media, so that for instance they might waive museum charges or something like that.
But what is for certain is that the government must have the BBC survive and that the licence system is now long past its sell by date.

[Gladys]

Well Rebbonk, doesn't that show us as the most over priced across the board? In the article it does say fines will be issued and these can be up to £1000 for non- payment. I don't want one of these so I guess I have made my choice' I'll be paying. Thanks Margaret but its a bit of a long haul until I qualify for the free no pay licence. Don Scotus, again- They are going to have to do something to sweeten us as I really do think they British Public feels very aggrieved at the heavy taxes we pay and at much the Government does.

Sorry- Dyslexic moment earlier. I do think they will have to sweeten us as the British Public is aggrieved at the heavy taxes we pay and also at what the Government does.

[Margaret]

[QUOTE=Gladys;21072] Thanks Margaret but its a bit of a long haul until I qualify for the free no pay licence.
Haha, same here, if I ever want a tv .

[Gladys]

I'm thinking if I actually get there as well !!! xxxx

[Dun Scotus]

A great incentive to reach 75, then we can get a free licence to watch c r a p.
I agree about the sweetner. Iv'e seen the most gigantic screens in peoples houses, like a mini cinema.

[Gladys]

Yes, I can't understand the need to have a TV that dwarfs a room and takes over as an exhibit. You see some small box room sized sitting rooms that wouldn't seem as small but for the size of the flat screen that accentuates it.

[Gladys]

Why wait until 2016? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2630893/Licence-fee-outdated-gone-little-TWO-years-BBC-bosses-warned.html
For me its not just the repeats but more the inequality of the fact that people from Europe can tune in and watch but not be penalised for doing so if they don't have a license.

[rebbonk]

The public won't be winners here. If the licence (as we know it) is scrapped, we'll be burdened with another tax, likely even higher.