To: The House of Commons - End the BBC Licence Fee

[ian1964 10,416]

I put this in here because I think it is relevant to Rangers fans!, if admin disagree they can move it. It is always worth signing these petitions IMO!.

 

 

Push for an immediate common's debate on the future of the television licence.

 

Why is this important?

 

There's been considerable public dissatisfaction for quite some time:

 

- 70% stated that the BBC licence fee should be abolished or cut according to an ICM poll for The Sunday Telegraph in 2013.

 

- The Magistrates' Association has been calling for the decriminalisation of TV licence evasion for nearly 20 years, concerned that evaders are punished disproportionately.

 

- Up to 50 MP's demanded recently an urgent Government review of BBC funding

 

I resent having to pay for the BBC for the following reasons:

 

Unique funding or daylight robbery?

 

- The BBC has long advertised with phrases such as "thanks to the unique way the BBC is funded" however should that unique way been seen as a positive. Surely it is questionable that a non-government entity should be entirely funded by tax that they are independently allowed to, first, claim and, second, collect.

 

- The licence fee forces people to pay for self-funded services, such as itv, channel 4 and so on.

 

Heavy-handed bullying:

 

- Its business model relies upon fear of criminal sanctions to achieve success: you cannot go to prison for non-payment of your licence fee, but you can be jailed for not paying a fine.

 

- The BBC sent 51.8 million letters last year chasing evaders. These letters were followed with over 3 million visits by TV licence officer.

 

- More than 3,000 a week appeared before the Magistrates Courts last year, accused of watching television without a valid licence.

 

- Licence fee evasion makes up around one ninth of all cases prosecuted in magistrate courts.

 

- Of the 184,595 prosecutions and out of court disposal in 2016, a staggering 21,312 were unsuccessful.

 

- in 2016, 90 people were imprisoned for TV licence fine default (44 women, 46 men).In England and Wales, these prisoners spent an average of 21 days each behind the bars.

 

Burden on the poor:

 

- The licence fee represents a much higher proportion of income for poor households

 

- According to a National Audit Office report from 2002: "Areas with high evasion rates are most likely to have a higher than average proportion of younger people, low income households, and students and single parent families, and a high level of County Court judgments 50 per cent above the national average".

 

- by forbidding all live TV programs to non-licence payers, it prevents poor people to enjoy a hobby that's virtually free or it criminalises them, in particular women with children living on welfare.

 

The licence fee gives an unfair advantage to one broadcaster:

 

- Itv has a total external revenue of £2,590 million

- Channel 4's total revenue is £908 million a year.

- UKTV (owning Dave, yesterday, etc) had £265 million in revenue.

- In comparison, the BBC has a total income of £5.066 billion of which £3.726 bn comes from licence fees.

 

Outdated system:

 

- The BBC has been funded by the licence fee since 1923.

- The current TV licence fee started in 1946

- TV licence might have been relevant when TV was in its infancy. Nowadays, it's not. Many channels offer quality programs funded by advertising.

 

How it works:

 

- The licence fee is classified as a tax since In January 2006.

- It cost each house with a TV the sum of 40p a day. In context of austerity, this is actually quite a lot.

- The Licence fee is £147 since 1st April 2017.

- Free TV licences are available for households with a member aged over 75 and are Licences are half price for the legally blind. Those aged over 60 and in residential care homes can get Accommodation for Residential Care licences for £7.50 a year.

It doesn't have to be this way:

- Canada, United States, Australia, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, Monaco and Spain don't have TV licence fees. Presumably its national TV is paid by taxes, in which case it's paid proportionally to each individual's income.

 

A need of control has been expressed many times:

 

A BBC funded by the public needs a democratic mandate, not just the votes of a few people who enjoy nature programmes.

 

Bias:

 

The nature of the licence fee as a tax could lead to the BBC being manipulated by the government in power with the threat of withholding funds if information damaging to that government was made public. Evidence of this kind of manipulation has already been seen in the run up to the 2015 election and the proposed leader's debates.

 

Papers have hinted that "thousands of Top Gear fans who signed a petition demanding Jeremy Clarkson be reinstated are now threatening not to pay their TV licence fee in protest." I am one of them.

 

I think it's particularly relevant to address this now as this issue needs to be debated by the government before 2017, but more so because of the "Fracas", which brings the BBC's responsibility towards the general public to the forefront.

 

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/end-the-bbc-licence-fee

[StuGers 477]

Signed. I wouldn't normally have any issue with paying the fee but the Rangers saga and the blatant agenda that is being instilled in BBC Scotland has forced my hand.

[26th of foot 5,834]

During my professional life, BBC World Service provided a life line. No matter the time or where you were serving in the world, I could tune into the World Service and be kept abreast of news, current affairs, and all sport. I have wonderful memories, hearing of our '88 5-1 victory over ra green'n'grey whilst in the Jebel(southern Oman), hearing of the appointment of Souness in Borneo, and also dug in atop Sussex mountain in the Falkland Islands on the 23rd May, being informed that Rangers had lost the Scottish Cup final 4-1 against Aberdeen. I did not use that particular short wave radio again, clearly it didn't work properly.

 

At the moment, I am in the south west coast of France, I listened to the culmination of the Test Match on BBC World service, whilst travelling from Galicia. Is there a better commentary on current affairs than Womens Hour? I like and feel comfort when listening to the Afternoon Play. It provides a lot of employment and remains well regarded as an objective source of news around the world.

 

Here's the irony, BBC Radio Scotland is subjective in Sport and current affairs. I believe it is down to both Senior management at Pacific Quay allowing, even encouraging a group of Producers to sit comfortably with their preferred prejudice? It's a standard of life thing too, the same talking heads taking a good wedge(Cosgrove is obsessed with high earners at the BBC, he admits he receives £42,000 for On/Off the Ball. Then, there is his weekly media review, his numerous my life in five books, records, works of art, .... etc). The case of Richard Wilson highlights the scenario, he arrives and is off message. He upsets the usual suspects, he appears three times on Cosgrove's show, takes the ridicule and hands it back, then there's the deliberate isolation. How many of the usual suspects parroted, 'Rangers supporters don't listen to us anymore, unless it's a piece by Richard Wilson' line?

 

We have to build a cross party political base to put pressure on both senior management and particularly the Producers at BBC Scotland, the club and supporters have to be most active in this regard. I do not know if I can sign the petition because of my earlier contribution, but that may be an age thing. Thank for stimulating more debate on the matter by posting the above.

[cooponthewing 1,139]

Signed! As I have added on my comments this is a disproportionate tax on the poor and those relying on the welfare state. It's funding is reliant on intimidation and fear. Door stepping methods used by loan sharks and criminals.

 

It is a damming indictment of successive governments that we are still having this debate. I agree with Ian that it's relevant (who dosnt?) the cultural and political bias in Scotland is particularly nauseating.

Edited September 14, 2017 by cooponthewing

[onevision 1,443]

Signed.

I have never agreed with having to purchase an annual licence because i own a piece of electrical equipment that receives transmissions that i don't or have very seldom used.

The sooner they make it a subscription service the better.

[MacK1950 2,231]

Signed they are a two faced organisation when it comes to advertising covering brand names in cooking programmes etc. but heavily promoting thing by name in sport eg "Barclay's Premier League" and indeed do not try to cover sponsors names in all sports.

[Scott7 5,168]

I've signed it.

 

Much of what 26th says rings true with me too. BBC Home Service and then R4 were indispensable companions until about ten years ago. Now News and Current Affairrs veer between hysteria and ignorance. Drama is obscure. Comedy is no longer amusing. Even TMS is losing it. BBC Scotland?. What can I say? Not much. Haven't watched or listened for years.

[Bill 13,717]

Apart from the many good reasons given above to end the BBC licence fee, you have to ask yourself ... what is the point of the BBC in the 21st century. It clearly doesn't reflect the British public opinion, it has abandoned its charter obligation of impartiality and it no longer provides a service that cannot be easily found elsewhere.

Edited September 14, 2017 by Bill

[aweebluesoandso 290]

Singed, BBC and its subsidiary BBC CFC have become first and foremost a propaganda unit for various political and social themes. BBC south, for the EU, migrants and a left wing bias, BBC CFC all things Ra Selik. How they are allowed to continually spin news and social affairs to their bias views is beyond my ken.

[ranger_syntax 3,771]

I don't pay the T.V. licence but I would still like to see it scrapped. I don't want taxpayers to pay for it either.

 

I don't see why the B.B.C. can't just survive on subscriptions.

 

If it is as marvellous as some say then there will be no reason to worry.