THE BBC TV LICENCE

I don't know if you Yanks know but in the UK.

It`s the law that if you own a television, that you have to buy a TV licence at around $130.00 a year.

If don`t you can get taken to court and if you don't pay then, you can be sent to prison.

The BBC get around 2 billion pounds a year in TV licence money.

If you buy a television in a store, they make you fill out a form with you name and address and it`s sent to the BBC, so they know who has bought a TV.

I bought an DVD player from ASDA, owned by WALLMART, and I had to fill out a TV licence form.

do you have anything similar.

edit: the BBC has 2 main tv channel and about 5 other part time channels.
most TV in the UK is payed through advertising or suscription TV the other 100+ channels.

but the BBC is to good to use adverts.

regards.

TinderBox (UK) said:

do you have anything similar.

Click to expand...

No, but we get our share of confiscatory taxes over here in the Colonies. Probably not as bad as you have it, though.

cheers

TinderBox (UK) said:

I don't know if you Yanks know but in the UK.

It`s the law that if you own a television, that you have to buy a TV licence at around $130.00 a year.

If don`t you can get taken to court and if you don't pay then, you can be sent to prison.

The BBC get around 2 billion pounds a year in TV licence money.

If you buy a television in a store, they make you fill out a form with you name and address and it`s sent to the BBC, so they know who has bought a TV.

I bought an DVD player from ASDA, owned by WALLMART, and I had to fill out a TV licence form.

do you have anything similar.

edit: the BBC has 2 main tv channel and about 5 other part time channels.
most TV in the UK is payed through advertising or suscription TV the other 100+ channels.

but the BBC is to good to use adverts.

regards.

Click to expand...

Nope

But I pay $130 EVERY month to watch cable TV in HD with all the bells and whistles, that makes $130/year sound like a hell of a deal!

yes but you have to choice.

their is cable and satellite broadcasts in the UK, and you can pay up to £50-£60 a month for the movie channels and all the sport.

but you don't have to.

with the BBC you have no choice, even if you never watch their channels.

if you own a television you have to pay a TV licence to the BBC.

regards.

TinderBox (UK) said:

I bought an DVD player from ASDA, owned by WALLMART, and I had to fill out a TV licence form.

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Hi Tinderbox. I have heard of the UK's TV license before, but I had no idea that one needed a license simply to own a TV. I was under the impression that an individual only needed a TV license if they wished to watch actual TV, as opposed to watching a movie on your DVD player connected TV.

So, even if you never intend to watch the BBC, or any other TV channel, and you only own a TV to watch movies (using your DVD player), you still need a TV license? Fascinating.

A TV tax... at first I thought you were pulling our legs, Tinder...

I won't even comment... :green:

I've only known about this because of the jokes about it in different britcoms.

I wish I was joking.

The licence is for possessing a TV, that can receive BBC programs.

even if you never watch the BBC.

The BBC has detector vans going round the country checking to see, if homes have a TV, and are not paying for the licence.

http://www.tvlicensing.biz/

I am not kidding.

regards.

We had that 2 in Malaysia some time ago. Even had police going house to house to check on tv licenses. Hehe!

Not really related, but hearing this brings to mind the movie "V For Victory." Great movie.

Speaking of the BBC, this past summer season is the first time I've ever watched the BBC (BBC America). I've gotten hooked on two shows--Hex, and Life on Mars. I must say, I'm greatful to the BBC for these shows, but maybe I should be greatful to you poor folks that have to pay that outrageous licencing fee! These shows are new here, but I know the UK is already on season 2 or 3 for both, which is a great thing to know, because when they leave us hanging at the end of the season, we've got UK resources to see next year's stuff now!

A difference between BBC and the U.S. stations is that U.S. stations aren't operated by the government. The owners of our stations would have a difficult time taxing a TV...... so far anyway.

Some states do tax televisions, though. Some states, and/or counties, have what's called a "personal property tax". Every year you're taxed, on the same items year after year, for televisions, radios, refrigerators, and such. We don't have that tax in Oregon, fortunately, but some states do.

Hes most certainly not joking. If you own a TV and I use the term "own" lightly you have to buy a TV licence.

I've practically stopped watching TV and get my TV by other means.

It's just another way for the BBC to make more money for the fat cats.

I use a TV card in my computer and I'm not sure if that comes under the TV licence but it wouldnt supprise me if it did.

I thought the whole reason we rebelled was cuz the brits wanted to tax us for drinking tea and using playing cards :thinking:

didn't the UK used to(or still does) license radios and special vehicles used to drive around with detectors to find non-registered units?

Radio's don't have a licence on them but CB's do.

And yes the television licencing agency has vans that drive around looking for people without licences.

And that's one of the reasons I haven't moved to the UK. Here in the US, I got seven televisions for free and freely use the 15 or so broadcast stations I can receive. And CB's are now available without any paperwork.

Mad1 said:

I use a TV card in my computer and I'm not sure if that comes under the TV licence but it wouldnt supprise me if it did.

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Why don't you just call the BBC and find out? LOL! (just kidding, of course!)

We used to have exactly the same setup here in Australia but it was abolished.

From Here http://www.answers.com/topic/television-licence

Radio licence fees were introduced in Australia in the 1920s to fund the first privately owned broadcasters which were not permitted to sell advertising. With the formation of the government-owned Australian Broadcasting Commission in 1932 the licence fees were used to fund ABC broadcasts while the privately owned stations were permitted to seek revenue from advertising and sponsorship. Television licence fees were also introduced in 1956 when the ABC began TV transmissions. All licence fees were abolished in 1974 by the Australian Labor Party government led by Gough Whitlam on the basis that it was an unfair and regressive tax. The ABC has since then been funded by government grants, now totalling around A$800 million a year, and its own commercial activities (merchandising, overseas sale of programmes, etc.).

We have to pay exactly the same tax to our BBC-equivalent TV channels here in Norway. It's not all bad though, as these channels have a much higher standard of programming than their commercial competitors (plus no reality-tv and similar garbage). There are also no commercial breaks, ever. I just can't stand watching movies and tv shows on channels funded by commercials, it totally ruins suspense imo. As long as NRK keeps their high standards I'm not complaining.

I can see the problem if you never watch these channels though, as you have to pay either way.

Btw BBC2 have Top Gear, and I would pay the tax just to be able to see that

Isak Hawk said:

There are also no commercial breaks, ever.

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Our government channels in Australia are supposedly commercial free but they run so many of their own promotions for their programs and various merchandise of their own they are almost as bad as the commercial stations. Fortunately their program content is usually of a much higher standard.