TV Licence - Not like car or council tax?

John_Pierpoint

I am sorting out the affairs of someone who has died.

Car tax - done a SORN on it.
Council tax - have a holiday of 6 months after probate = Xmas 2009 ?????;)

Now the thought police want the TV licence money.
Any way of getting a tax holiday on the TV tax?

It is a huge version of one of the early letter box wide screen models - I guess I will have to risk a hernia to lug it back to my place?

John

maninthestreet

If no one is going to watch/use the television at the property, surely you don't have to buy a TV licence?

moonrakerz

Correct - If no one is going to watch or record live TV at the property you do not need a licence.
It doesn't matter if you have 10 TVs in the house all connected to 10 aerials you still don't need a licence. You can also watch DVDs without having a licence.

Stand by to get lots of threatening and bullying letters from the TV licensing cowboys though ! Just bin them, they are all bluster.

PS: You do not have to tell them that you don't need a licence - it is up to them to prove that you are acting illegally, you do not have to prove the opposite.

McKneff

I think there is a form on the bottom of the letter or on the back to fill
in to say it is no longer required

JohalaReewi

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

Now the thought police want the TV licence money.
Any way of getting a tax holiday on the TV tax?

It is a huge version of one of the early letter box wide screen models - I guess I will have to risk a hernia to lug it back to my place?

John

Just leave the TV where it is. No TV licence needed if nobody is watching it. If there is already a TV licence in the deceased person's name at that address, you might be able to cancel it and get a refund of the unused portion.

Tink82

They keep threatening me. My house is empty apart from tins of paint.

Unplug the TV, stop paying. simple! they will keep writting but ignore it. They may even call round, but if the tv is off and unplugged (move it away from all the sockets if you can) they can't prove you have been watching it.

John_Pierpoint

I think I will try explaining that the property is empty because its occupant has died and see what response I get - I've got plenty of hassle already.
(The tax man expects me to know the man's late wife's NI number when she died in 2002!!!!?).
No balance to reclaim, he was over 75.

John

(BTW The Post Office, for reasons of its own, changed my post code, let us forget that this threatened my house insurance and car insurance and cost me a small fortune informing friends and business contacts, it caused an avalanche of threats from the TV licensing office.
I eventually managed to extract an apology from TV licensing. was this a first ?)

mike_the_bike_2

Tink82 wrote: »

They keep threatening me. My house is empty apart from tins of paint.

Unplug the TV, stop paying. simple! they will keep writting but ignore it. They may even call round, but if the tv is off and unplugged (move it away from all the sockets if you can) they can't prove you have been watching it.

Flipping hell..If they call round I'd tell them something that sounds a bit like "foreign office"..They have no right of entry to your property whatsoever...don't even answer the door to them...talk about a police state!