Television licence on the taxes?

[5129frederick]

I think I read somewhere that in excess of 95% of the country own at least one television, not including all those with Sky.

Rather than go through the motions and arguments for and against increasing revenue for the broadcasting services by raising the television yet again the next time it comes round, would it not be a far simpler affair just to have the fee come straight out of your taxes?  Then there would be no argument about whether you have a licence or not.  It would save a small fortune on expenditures and staff required.  

The only down side about it is you'd no longer be able to enjoy playing cat and mouse with the licencing authority.  
Unless you've been coerced into parting with your money to buy a licence for £70.00 odd is it?  (I don't know how much it is, now) providing it it bought privately, there is no way the licencing authorities will know for certain who has and who hasn't go a television licence - it works perfectly well without a licence.  The thing is, once they have your name they will never let you go and will hound you into the ground wanting their money.  

If you no longer have a television, you are under no obligation whatsoever to reply to their requests for a licence or reason why you do not hold one, so feel free to dump all your reminders or paper the walls with them.

[john.b74]

BBC should have adds, then we would have free TV like ITV.

[right-then-petal]

A colour TV Licence costs £145.50 and a black and white TV Licence costs £49.00.

[bankhaunter]

Come this summer, it is intended that a licence will be necessary to watch BBC iPlayer.

That will almost certainly mean that any address that has no licence on record, will have their ISP records sifted through.

I have been off their radar ever since I moved and they have been sending their ( at least to the 'Present Occupier') regular letters, I've lost count of how many have told me I am being investigated.

[5129frederick]

You wait and see.  With more and more people buying lap tops and desk tops within a couple of years this twisted Government will find some way to bring out legislation that all computers will have to be registered for an annual fee of, say, £35.00 per year - in  the name of National Security.  It would be too good an opportunity to pass up so that they can then relist and reword the song "I've got you, under my skin - thumb ..."

You'll not believe just how true those words ring. 

[john.b74]

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@5129frederick wrote:

You wait and see.  With more and more people buying lap tops and desk tops within a couple of years this twisted Government will find some way to bring out legislation that all computers will have to be registered for an annual fee of, say, £35.00 per year - in  the name of National Security.  It would be too good an opportunity to pass up so that they can then relist and reword the song "I've got you, under my skin - thumb ..."

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I think you could be right.

[bankhaunter]

Internet connections will be taxed.

It was already suggested some time ago.

[dark_castle1]

when that happens bank then I will be off because it is just another stealth tax.

[artful_dodgings]

I once heard from a BBC employee that the 'Detector' vans had the credibility of the Loch Ness Monster. They didn't exist.

[5129frederick]

They once pulled off an April Fool joke with totally unexpected and really dramatic results.  They said that using the latest gizmos they had tracked down several thousand TV licence dodgers and were going to demonstrate what would happen within weeks if the licence fees were not met.  The then merely unplugged the microphone and carried on talking without sound!  The following morning the Post Office was swamped out with TV application licences!   It ran in to several hundred!