TV license...

[Infidel]

Back in the good old days of detector vans it was a very lucrative source of overtime for us poor underpaid GPO Engineers once every three months. We used to troll around with a bloody great oscilloscope in the back of the detector van with it's big horn aerials and watch the teles fly into back gardens.

Yes it was possible to detect what channel you were watching but there were only 3, most of the time we just drove up and down the road parked up went to the local pub and just let it be known we'd be back the next night and we had a list of houses that had caught our attention.

It used to save the poor guy from the Post Office getting his head kicked in on the doorstep, happy and as I said lucrative days.

 

[ColJack]

Thought that if you're unemployed you get this for free, or subsidised. Is that not the case?

I didn't know that.. thank's I'll look into it..

 

[ColJack]

I also think that the TV license should be included in the sky / cable package subscription and as long as you have one or the other then you wouldn't need a license..

 

[dextrous]

I also think that the TV license should be included in the sky / cable package subscription and as long as you have one or the other then you wouldn't need a license..

Agree.

Having looked into it, it would appear that being unemployed doesn't mean you're not liable for payment. Hope I'm wrong in this, though

 

[ColJack]

i found something about an allowance but that was on an ireland goverment website, so it might be an irish thing..
we don't get it over here..

 

[WDIK]

only over a certain age

 

[dextrous]

'Tis madness. How many households have limited income but have to pay the full whack. Surely there should some way of means-testing this "nearly mandatory tax". Meanwhile, the BBC had paid out nearly a quarter of a billion pounds for a smallish number of high-profile presenters per annum.

 

[conny]

high-profile presenters

If by this you mean Terry Wogan, (retired), johnathon Woss, (dismissed), that Brand fella, (gone), then who is left and more to the point, who/what decides if they are high-profile?

Not me thats for sure.
I hardly watch tv these days and when I do it is usually factual channels such as Discovery/History etc where the only presentation is a voice.
None of this BB, GMO jungle thingy, soaps/American comedy(?)

And no, if you are unemployed/disabled you are still liable to pay the full whack for the licence. The only discount is if you are over 75 I think or blind.

 

[dextrous]

Er.. David Dimbleby

 

[conny]

Er.. David Dimbleby

Political chat?

No thanks.

 

[Paul_C]

do i need one then just because it's capable of recieving tv..? even if I don't own an aerial or satelite box etc?

Absolutely not. Contrary to what many people seem to believe, and contrary even to what some of the threatening letters from TVL try to imply, you do not need a license to own a TV, or indeed to own a satellite receiver, UHF aerial or any other receiving apparatus. The license is required to "install & use" equipment for receiving broadcast television. If it's not connected up in such a way as to receive such broadcasts, then no license is required.

i'd need a radio licence then for my clock radio...

You're fine there: Radio receiving licenses were abolished in 1971.

Not sure, but I would think if you ever needed to proove it, showing that the channels are not tuned in would help.

You don't need to prove anything. Again, contrary to belief in some quarters and contrary to the implications of the very authoritarian sounding "official warning" notices sent out by TVL about "An investigation has been opened; officers have been authorized to visit your premises and interview you under caution" etc. they have absolutely no right of entry to your home without a search warrant, and as a matter of principle, you should never voluntarily allow these bullies into your home, even if you have nothing to hide.

You're also in no way obliged to talk to them, or to respond to the intimidating letters demanding that you either buy a license or tell them that you don't need one. Besides, it's blatantly obvious from the experiences of those who have done the latter that they don't take any notice. As the letters state, "we will contact you in due course to confirm the situation," which means they want to send somebody to your house to check. And then, by all accounts, you're left alone for at most about 2 years (often considerably less) before the threatening letters start to arrive again anyway.

I feel quite neglected if a miss one of my regular monthly threat-o-grams!

 

[Donkmeister]

'Tis madness. How many households have limited income but have to pay the full whack. Surely there should some way of means-testing this "nearly mandatory tax".

Is TV-watching somehow required to sustain human life? Is it true that the new definition of the breadline is "TV less than 40-inches and only has basic cable TV"?

Subsidising the TV licence for lower incomes makes no more sense (to me) than subsidising water-skiing lessons.

 

[dextrous]

'Tis madness. How many households have limited income but have to pay the full whack. Surely there should some way of means-testing this "nearly mandatory tax".

Is TV-watching somehow required to sustain human life? Is it true that the new definition of the breadline is "TV less than 40-inches and only has basic cable TV"?

Subsidising the TV licence for lower incomes makes no more sense (to me) than subsidising water-skiing lessons.

While those afflicted by unemployment are busy watching TV, they're not out burgling, "doing" drugs etc etc. Thus it's money well spent.

 

[big-all]

Thought that if you're unemployed you get this for free, or subsidised. Is that not the case?

the only consesions are iff you are 75 then your licence is free
or reduced if your blind 50% off i belive

 

[Paul_C]

the only consesions are iff you are 75 then your licence is free or reduced if your blind 50% off i belive

Both of those concessions are relatively recent changes (within just the last few years). Before that, the blind "concession" was a reduction in the fee of just £1.