3 ms·

> Yes, it's a tax. It's is very specifically not a tax, primarily because if you choose not to consume public service broadcasting, you do not have to pay it.

DarkmSparks 3y ago
so wage tax is also not actually a tax, because if you dont have a wage you do not have to pay it? Hmmmm, not convinced that logic works tbh.
blackfawn 3y ago
How does that make it not a tax? You can choose not to buy goods and not pay sales tax, choose not to own a home and pay real estate taxes, choose to not have a job and pay income tax, etc...
- LeoPanthera 3y ago
  Taxes tax something. A purchase, your income, something. The license fee is just a fee. You pay it. You get the BBC. (And other national broadcast services, which also benefit from it.) The clue may, perhaps, be in the name. It isn't called the "license tax".
  - gryn 3y ago
    if it's anything like what's done in france and other european countries then it's a tax on the ownership of TVs.
    - JoshTriplett 3y ago
      In the UK, if you own a TV but do not watch broadcast/cable television, you specifically do not owe the fee. There are plenty of stories from the early days of the Internet before widespread adoption of streaming services, where saying you don't watch TV programmes would get funny looks and insistent claims that you couldn't possibly have another use for a TV, but the fee was in fact tied to BBC, not to the ownership of a TV.
      - IanCal 3y ago
        Just to be clear it was tied to live TV broadcasts not only BBC content. The point that it's not about owning a device is very important though.
  - IanCal 3y ago
    Other broadcasters don't benefit from it. Channel 4 doesn't get a cut for example. You need to pay it if you never watch the BBC and only non public service broadcasting. You also get public things for free without paying for it. > Taxes tax something. A purchase, your income, something. This taxes watching live TV or on demand things from the BBC.
  - plodman 3y ago
    If I choose not to use a service that costs a fee (such as Netflix), I am not hounded for not paying it. If I chose not to pay a tax, I am hounded with threats of prosecution and fines. The license “fee” falls into the latter category.
  - kdwikzncba 3y ago
    > The clue may, perhaps, be in the name. It isn't called the "license tax". The name was, perhaps, picked to trick people like you, who look at a turd named like a cake and eat it, perhaps.
  - Daviey 3y ago
    Please inform me when I'm no longer obligated to pay the following fees: National Insurance, Stamp Duty, Council Rates (for businesses), Vehicle Excise Duty, Air Passenger Duty, Congestion Charge, Customs Duty, Climate Change Levy, Apprenticeship Levy, Tuition Fees, Fishing Rod Licence, Dartford Crossing Charge along with other tolls for publicly owned roads and bridges, Retailer's Alcohol License, MOT Test Fee, Planning Permission Fee, Broadcasting Licence Fees for radio and TV, Scaffolding and Hoarding Licence Fees, Event Licensing Fees, Passport Application Fees, Shotgun Certificate and Firearms Licences. These fees, while mandatory for certain public services, offer an element of choice in participation, thus not qualifying as taxes, correct? On a brighter note, I've been free from the dog license fee of 37p since 1987, and the CB radio license requirement that was lifted in 2006
yreg 3y ago
More importantly, the fees collected directly fund the public broadcaster. Slovakia had a similar system, then the politicians decided to cancel the fees and make it so the public broadcaster is funded out of ministry of culture budget instead. Now it's a year later and surprise, surprise, the new government which has gripes with the press has just cut the public broadcaster budget by 33%. If it was still funded by “tv licences” it would be much harder to do that.
IanCal 3y ago
It is a tax, I'm going to lean on the ONS for this one. (Edit the relevant quote is "In January 2006, the Office of National Statistics classified the licence fee as a tax") https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200506/ldselect/ldbbc/128/128i.pdf https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200506/ldselect/ldbb... > if you choose not to consume public service broadcasting, you do not have to pay it. That is absolutely not true. You need to pay it to view live TV, regardless of who produces it.

DarkmSparks 3y ago

so wage tax is also not actually a tax, because if you dont have a wage you do not have to pay it? Hmmmm, not convinced that logic works tbh.

blackfawn 3y ago

How does that make it not a tax? You can choose not to buy goods and not pay sales tax, choose not to own a home and pay real estate taxes, choose to not have a job and pay income tax, etc...

LeoPanthera 3y ago
Taxes tax something. A purchase, your income, something. The license fee is just a fee. You pay it. You get the BBC. (And other national broadcast services, which also benefit from it.) The clue may, perhaps, be in the name. It isn't called the "license tax".
- gryn 3y ago
  if it's anything like what's done in france and other european countries then it's a tax on the ownership of TVs.
  - JoshTriplett 3y ago
    In the UK, if you own a TV but do not watch broadcast/cable television, you specifically do not owe the fee. There are plenty of stories from the early days of the Internet before widespread adoption of streaming services, where saying you don't watch TV programmes would get funny looks and insistent claims that you couldn't possibly have another use for a TV, but the fee was in fact tied to BBC, not to the ownership of a TV.
    - IanCal 3y ago
      Just to be clear it was tied to live TV broadcasts not only BBC content. The point that it's not about owning a device is very important though.
- IanCal 3y ago
  Other broadcasters don't benefit from it. Channel 4 doesn't get a cut for example. You need to pay it if you never watch the BBC and only non public service broadcasting. You also get public things for free without paying for it. > Taxes tax something. A purchase, your income, something. This taxes watching live TV or on demand things from the BBC.
- plodman 3y ago
  If I choose not to use a service that costs a fee (such as Netflix), I am not hounded for not paying it. If I chose not to pay a tax, I am hounded with threats of prosecution and fines. The license “fee” falls into the latter category.
- kdwikzncba 3y ago
  > The clue may, perhaps, be in the name. It isn't called the "license tax". The name was, perhaps, picked to trick people like you, who look at a turd named like a cake and eat it, perhaps.
- Daviey 3y ago
  Please inform me when I'm no longer obligated to pay the following fees: National Insurance, Stamp Duty, Council Rates (for businesses), Vehicle Excise Duty, Air Passenger Duty, Congestion Charge, Customs Duty, Climate Change Levy, Apprenticeship Levy, Tuition Fees, Fishing Rod Licence, Dartford Crossing Charge along with other tolls for publicly owned roads and bridges, Retailer's Alcohol License, MOT Test Fee, Planning Permission Fee, Broadcasting Licence Fees for radio and TV, Scaffolding and Hoarding Licence Fees, Event Licensing Fees, Passport Application Fees, Shotgun Certificate and Firearms Licences. These fees, while mandatory for certain public services, offer an element of choice in participation, thus not qualifying as taxes, correct? On a brighter note, I've been free from the dog license fee of 37p since 1987, and the CB radio license requirement that was lifted in 2006

yreg 3y ago

More importantly, the fees collected directly fund the public broadcaster. Slovakia had a similar system, then the politicians decided to cancel the fees and make it so the public broadcaster is funded out of ministry of culture budget instead. Now it's a year later and surprise, surprise, the new government which has gripes with the press has just cut the public broadcaster budget by 33%. If it was still funded by “tv licences” it would be much harder to do that.

IanCal 3y ago

It is a tax, I'm going to lean on the ONS for this one. (Edit the relevant quote is "In January 2006, the Office of National Statistics classified the licence fee as a tax") https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200506/ldselect/ldbbc/128/128i.pdf https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200506/ldselect/ldbb... > if you choose not to consume public service broadcasting, you do not have to pay it. That is absolutely not true. You need to pay it to view live TV, regardless of who produces it.