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

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.