7 ms·

License means More Tax. Why am I not surprised? - Car License. - TV License. - Remember Personal Radios needed a License. - Gun License. - Travel License

License means More Tax. Why am I not surprised? - Car License. - TV License. - Remember Personal Radios needed a License. - Gun License. - Travel License (passport). Now Drone License. sigh What else can the UK Government think of taxing?

lexicality 9y ago
Irony
- renesd 9y ago
  Bronzy
IshKebab 9y ago
I mean, most of those make sense - a 'car licence' (I assume you mean road tax?) pays for roads (in theory). A TV licence pays for the BBC. A radio licence presumably paid for the BBC before there were TVs. Passport fees pay for embassies and other foreign services. It is hard to see how an expensive drone licence would be justified though.
- petepete 9y ago
  Radio only licences existed until the 70s and would cover people who used a radio but not a TV. TV licences include radio.
- joaodlf 9y ago
  TV licence is a big nuisance, and to me it's just old media clinging on to the power it holds. I go home and accidentally start streaming through the BBC iPlayer (I wanted to watch a catch up program but my finger slipped), am I breaking the law? Am I considered a criminal by the state? If they want to enforce this properly they need to do it at the device level. If I'm not supposed to watch TV then make it impossible for me not to do so, put a login behind it or something. Not to mention the ABSURD methods they go to intimidate you into paying, even when you don't watch live television (in my case, I don't even own an aerial cable), every month I get a threatening, amateur looking, in red writing, letter telling me about my crimes and that I will just end up in court.... If I kept these letters I'd have to rent a garage just to store them, have these people ever heard about saving trees? :) It's a silly tax, with silly regulations and silly enforcement that needs to go.
  - tome 9y ago
    > I wanted to watch a catch up program but my finger slipped You're required to have a TV licence to watch catch up programs: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/help/tvlicence https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/help/tvlicence This rule has been in force for some months now. > am I breaking the law? Am I considered a criminal by the state? I imagine the case law on this issue is very well understood by now. I don't know the answer but I doubt there are any legal uncertainties. > the ABSURD methods they go to intimidate you into paying, even when you don't watch live television I'm not sure what it's like for those like you who have device but no aerial. I have no device. Once every two years I get a letter asking me to fill in a web form to confirm I still have no device. It's annoying, sure, but your reaction seems massively over the top.
    - nicky0 9y ago
      I get a letter from the BBC every month threatening me with court action if I don't buy a TV license.
      - EliRivers 9y ago
        Is it from the BBC? They outsourced licencing many years ago.
        nicky0 9y ago
        Parts of the operation are contracted out to Capita, who act as agents for the BBC under the "TV Licensing" trade name.
      - DanBC 9y ago
        Have you filled out the web form?
        nicky0 9y ago
        No I quite enjoy the threatening letters, they tend to repeat after about 6 months but every now and again you get a new one.
- TheAceOfHearts 9y ago
  What's a TV license? I've genuinely never heard of that being a thing, although I'm in the US. I own a TV but I don't watch any public broadcasts or cable, so requiring a license for that seems weird at first glance.
  - dan1234 9y ago
    Basically, TV Licence pays for state run TV & radio services. In the UK, this also means we don't have any advertising on the BBC channels or website, which is nice. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_licence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_licence
    - Amezarak 9y ago
      The US has public radio and television without advertising as well, but instead of licensing it is funded through personal and corporate donations, together with government grants coming out of the general budget. On a few programs you might get the host of the showing saying at the end mentioning one of the sponsors, but that's the worst it gets. The website (for radio, I don't see any on the TV website)) does have a few non-awful display ads, but streaming everything is free. In my personal opinion this is a more progressive model - poor people don't have to pay money for public television access.
      - petre 9y ago
        Other (mostly European) countries rely on a tax to fund or partially fund state TV/radio so that the government doesn't broadcast government propaganda over state TV or control it by cutting their budget. It's also easier for them to make cultural shows as opposed to Oprah style reality TV that's the equivalent of clickbait and sells ads. In some of these countries state run TV is the most propaganda/advertising free TV. BBC is one example.
        Amezarak 9y ago
        NPR and PBS neither air reality TV type content, or are outlets for government propaganda. I understand that's one stated reason for the license tax, but the American model pretty well proves that it isn't necessary to get independent content that's not ad-driven.
- EliRivers 9y ago
  The "car licence" connection to paying for roads was ended in 1937 [1], and the Road Fund itself in 1956 [1]. The Vehicle Excise Duty since 1936 has just been taxation, not earmarked for anything in particular. [1] http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/SN01482.pdf http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/SN01482.pdf , page 6
orf 9y ago
Personal radios need a license? I'm guessing you mean two-way walkie-talkies? That's only if they use part of the spectrum regulated by Ofcom. If you use some of the unregulated spectrum then it's fine. The rest of the licenses make sense. The TV license is particularly important as it pays for the BBC, keeping it relatively free from government interference whilst still creating top-notch content.
- EliRivers 9y ago
  Not walkie-talkies. Personal radios needed a licence. Back when the TV licence was the TV and radio licence, and there was also a separate radio licence. Radio licences were withdrawn back in February 1971.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
Kenji 9y ago
The UK Government is currently in a chokehold of the authoritarians. See also the prime minister's plans about crypto and the (opt-out) porn block and planned required identification to access porn. We can only hope they don't get much done and are busy with Brexit.
- petre 9y ago
  What do you expect from an ex home secretary? Policing everything like it's the Soviet Union.
EliRivers 9y ago
I believe it is that case that the UK government does not insist you have a passport to travel. Practical considerations may make it difficult without one (many private companies, for example, won't let you onto their conveyance without one because they don't want to be lumbered with taking you back again when the destination country refuses to let you in for lack of passport) and the destination country might not let you in without one, but that's not the UK government insisting you be licenced to travel. It's not illegal under UK law, I understand (or it certainly didn't used to be; the maybot did seem to run an awfully authoritarian Home Office so maybe that's changed), to simply wander down to the sea, get on a yacht, and sail across to another country. I have myself gone to France without a passport (which may have been illegal under French law; I certainly have the right to travel there freely, but I don't know what they insist people carry), gone shopping, and come back again, and I know someone coming back through border control who simply gave his name and address.
- bonzini 9y ago
  IIRC the United Kingdom has no national ID cards, but generally if your country has one they are an acceptable way for EU citizens to travel within the Union (and they were even when the EU was the EEC). Getting your ID in Italy is about one Euro (printing photos is more expensive than that) and it's valid for ten years. All that's required for an Italian is a means of being identified by an officer; the national ID card is just a convenient one. A driving license is enough of you prefer.
nicky0 9y ago
You missed Dog License if you are doing historical ones...
- petre 9y ago
  You need a dog license in some parts of Switzerland and a six month course to get one. It's mostly because of irresponsible persons that abandon dogs.
- icebraining 9y ago
  Not for fish, though: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1RGwaCUjm0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1RGwaCUjm0
magnat 9y ago
> What else can the UK Government think of taxing? Thingie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmOHx5Ftez8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmOHx5Ftez8
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
Daviey 9y ago
> - Remember Personal Radios needed a License. CB's do not anymore... these were deregulated just a few years ago. To Add to the list: - Fishing License - Dog License (re-introduce!)
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]

lexicality 9y ago

Irony

renesd 9y ago
Bronzy

IshKebab 9y ago

I mean, most of those make sense - a 'car licence' (I assume you mean road tax?) pays for roads (in theory). A TV licence pays for the BBC. A radio licence presumably paid for the BBC before there were TVs. Passport fees pay for embassies and other foreign services. It is hard to see how an expensive drone licence would be justified though.

petepete 9y ago
Radio only licences existed until the 70s and would cover people who used a radio but not a TV. TV licences include radio.
joaodlf 9y ago
TV licence is a big nuisance, and to me it's just old media clinging on to the power it holds. I go home and accidentally start streaming through the BBC iPlayer (I wanted to watch a catch up program but my finger slipped), am I breaking the law? Am I considered a criminal by the state? If they want to enforce this properly they need to do it at the device level. If I'm not supposed to watch TV then make it impossible for me not to do so, put a login behind it or something. Not to mention the ABSURD methods they go to intimidate you into paying, even when you don't watch live television (in my case, I don't even own an aerial cable), every month I get a threatening, amateur looking, in red writing, letter telling me about my crimes and that I will just end up in court.... If I kept these letters I'd have to rent a garage just to store them, have these people ever heard about saving trees? :) It's a silly tax, with silly regulations and silly enforcement that needs to go.
- tome 9y ago
  > I wanted to watch a catch up program but my finger slipped You're required to have a TV licence to watch catch up programs: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/help/tvlicence https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/help/tvlicence This rule has been in force for some months now. > am I breaking the law? Am I considered a criminal by the state? I imagine the case law on this issue is very well understood by now. I don't know the answer but I doubt there are any legal uncertainties. > the ABSURD methods they go to intimidate you into paying, even when you don't watch live television I'm not sure what it's like for those like you who have device but no aerial. I have no device. Once every two years I get a letter asking me to fill in a web form to confirm I still have no device. It's annoying, sure, but your reaction seems massively over the top.
  - nicky0 9y ago
    I get a letter from the BBC every month threatening me with court action if I don't buy a TV license.
    - EliRivers 9y ago
      Is it from the BBC? They outsourced licencing many years ago.
      - nicky0 9y ago
        Parts of the operation are contracted out to Capita, who act as agents for the BBC under the "TV Licensing" trade name.
    - DanBC 9y ago
      Have you filled out the web form?
      - nicky0 9y ago
        No I quite enjoy the threatening letters, they tend to repeat after about 6 months but every now and again you get a new one.
TheAceOfHearts 9y ago
What's a TV license? I've genuinely never heard of that being a thing, although I'm in the US. I own a TV but I don't watch any public broadcasts or cable, so requiring a license for that seems weird at first glance.
- dan1234 9y ago
  Basically, TV Licence pays for state run TV & radio services. In the UK, this also means we don't have any advertising on the BBC channels or website, which is nice. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_licence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_licence
  - Amezarak 9y ago
    The US has public radio and television without advertising as well, but instead of licensing it is funded through personal and corporate donations, together with government grants coming out of the general budget. On a few programs you might get the host of the showing saying at the end mentioning one of the sponsors, but that's the worst it gets. The website (for radio, I don't see any on the TV website)) does have a few non-awful display ads, but streaming everything is free. In my personal opinion this is a more progressive model - poor people don't have to pay money for public television access.
    - petre 9y ago
      Other (mostly European) countries rely on a tax to fund or partially fund state TV/radio so that the government doesn't broadcast government propaganda over state TV or control it by cutting their budget. It's also easier for them to make cultural shows as opposed to Oprah style reality TV that's the equivalent of clickbait and sells ads. In some of these countries state run TV is the most propaganda/advertising free TV. BBC is one example.
      - Amezarak 9y ago
        NPR and PBS neither air reality TV type content, or are outlets for government propaganda. I understand that's one stated reason for the license tax, but the American model pretty well proves that it isn't necessary to get independent content that's not ad-driven.
EliRivers 9y ago
The "car licence" connection to paying for roads was ended in 1937 [1], and the Road Fund itself in 1956 [1]. The Vehicle Excise Duty since 1936 has just been taxation, not earmarked for anything in particular. [1] http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/SN01482.pdf http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/SN01482.pdf , page 6

orf 9y ago

Personal radios need a license? I'm guessing you mean two-way walkie-talkies? That's only if they use part of the spectrum regulated by Ofcom. If you use some of the unregulated spectrum then it's fine. The rest of the licenses make sense. The TV license is particularly important as it pays for the BBC, keeping it relatively free from government interference whilst still creating top-notch content.

EliRivers 9y ago
Not walkie-talkies. Personal radios needed a licence. Back when the TV licence was the TV and radio licence, and there was also a separate radio licence. Radio licences were withdrawn back in February 1971.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

Kenji 9y ago

The UK Government is currently in a chokehold of the authoritarians. See also the prime minister's plans about crypto and the (opt-out) porn block and planned required identification to access porn. We can only hope they don't get much done and are busy with Brexit.

petre 9y ago
What do you expect from an ex home secretary? Policing everything like it's the Soviet Union.

EliRivers 9y ago

I believe it is that case that the UK government does not insist you have a passport to travel. Practical considerations may make it difficult without one (many private companies, for example, won't let you onto their conveyance without one because they don't want to be lumbered with taking you back again when the destination country refuses to let you in for lack of passport) and the destination country might not let you in without one, but that's not the UK government insisting you be licenced to travel. It's not illegal under UK law, I understand (or it certainly didn't used to be; the maybot did seem to run an awfully authoritarian Home Office so maybe that's changed), to simply wander down to the sea, get on a yacht, and sail across to another country. I have myself gone to France without a passport (which may have been illegal under French law; I certainly have the right to travel there freely, but I don't know what they insist people carry), gone shopping, and come back again, and I know someone coming back through border control who simply gave his name and address.

bonzini 9y ago
IIRC the United Kingdom has no national ID cards, but generally if your country has one they are an acceptable way for EU citizens to travel within the Union (and they were even when the EU was the EEC). Getting your ID in Italy is about one Euro (printing photos is more expensive than that) and it's valid for ten years. All that's required for an Italian is a means of being identified by an officer; the national ID card is just a convenient one. A driving license is enough of you prefer.

nicky0 9y ago

You missed Dog License if you are doing historical ones...

petre 9y ago
You need a dog license in some parts of Switzerland and a six month course to get one. It's mostly because of irresponsible persons that abandon dogs.
icebraining 9y ago
Not for fish, though: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1RGwaCUjm0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1RGwaCUjm0

magnat 9y ago

> What else can the UK Government think of taxing? Thingie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmOHx5Ftez8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmOHx5Ftez8

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

Daviey 9y ago

> - Remember Personal Radios needed a License. CB's do not anymore... these were deregulated just a few years ago. To Add to the list: - Fishing License - Dog License (re-introduce!)

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]