How To Legally Stop Paying Your Tv Licence!

Jerryjerryjerry

BourneUK wrote: »

I think if most of had the choice we wouldn't pay for it. I have a licence and have always had one but one point I always wonder about is that it's a TV licence and not specific to BBC, my understanding is that you need to pay if you have a TV and not just for the BBC so is the revenue generated shared with all broadcasters, I think not so its a BBC tax and should be rebranded as the BBC licence. I'm not sure any of the arguments stated would stand up in court but I'm no lawyer.
It would be good for the government to abolish all such schemes but probably not a priority as they are too busy claiming their expenses

The other night, two officers turned up at my house with a police man and a search warrant. I refused to let them in. I do have a t.v. but it doesn't work. We don't watch t.v. We go on the internet, cook and listen to music.

They don't have my name.

They went away when I showed them a letter in response to my letter to them saying i've taken away their implied right of access.

They have confirmed in writing, in july this year, they will not come to my home for another two years yet they sent someone last week!

This is surely trespassing?

My husband, told me to just let them in and be done with it, but I will not.

I rang t.v. licencing this morning and they said that they can still send people round because they are allowed to use other methods available ... is this correct? Could this be the search warrant?

So if they have a search warrant they're not tresspassing after my withrdrawel of the implied right of accesS>

Any help much appreciated. TIA

undaunted

It is rare for them to obtain a search warrant - as they would have to provide reasonable grounds for believing you used a tv & you would still have notice / time to get rid of it - However, if they do have a warrant to enter & you don't let them in you commit an offence for which you may be fined.

Is it really worth the hassle?

Jerryjerryjerry

No. You are right. I think I will just let them in and be done with it next time. I'm sure they will be back soon. Thank you for your help. I just hate the fact that they have so much power. I didn't have a gas supply at my last house and yet, I never had British Gas turning up with the police to check!

Retro_Bunny

Jerryjerryjerry wrote: »

The other night, two officers turned up at my house with a police man and a search warrant. I refused to let them in. I do have a t.v. but it doesn't work. We don't watch t.v. We go on the internet, cook and listen to music.

They don't have my name.

They went away when I showed them a letter in response to my letter to them saying i've taken away their implied right of access.

They have confirmed in writing, in july this year, they will not come to my home for another two years yet they sent someone last week!

This is surely trespassing?

My husband, told me to just let them in and be done with it, but I will not.

I rang t.v. licencing this morning and they said that they can still send people round because they are allowed to use other methods available ... is this correct? Could this be the search warrant?

So if they have a search warrant they're not tresspassing after my withrdrawel of the implied right of accesS>

Any help much appreciated. TIA

Firstly you need a TV licence.

A TV licence is needed if the house contains anything that can receive TV. If the TV doesn't work, throw it away. But you'll also need to dispose of all mobile phones, PCs and laptops as well:

From the TV Licence Website:
A TV Licence is not just for TV sets

Watching TV on the internet - You need to be covered by a licence if you watch TV online at the same time as it's being broadcast on conventional TV in the UK or the Channel Islands.
Video recorders and digital recorders like Sky+ - You need a licence if you record TV as it's broadcast, whether that's on a conventional video recorder or digital box.
Mobile phones - A licence covers you to watch TV as it's broadcast on a mobile phone, whether you're at home or out and about.

Just pay it, it's easier - bet you use BBC website or listen to BBC radio in the car? So even if you don't use a TV, you're still using services that cost money.

shammyjack

" ( Firstly you need a TV licence.

A TV licence is needed if the house contains anything that can receive TV. If the TV doesn't work, throw it away. But you'll also need to dispose of all mobile phones, PCs and laptops as well: ) "

Another idiot spouting rubbish !

James_Lahey

Our family haven't had a TV for years, we do have a PC and a tablet and could theoretically watch "catch up" programs or indeed live broadcasts if we wanted.

I informed them around over 2 years ago that we don't watch live tv (or for that matter any) after receiving many letters threatening a visit. Recently (after no contact for said 2+ years) we received another letter for us to confirm that our circumstances haven't changed. I was happy to phone up to let them know that we still didn't require a licence, the lady who answered was really pleasant and was one of the few people I've spoke to who also doesn't own a telly!

Previously we paid the licence even though we didn't watch the telly - mainly in thanks for the excellent programs the BBC has made over the years. I was forced to cancel in 2009 after suffering 10 minutes of "Lee Nelson's Well Good Show" at a friends house - sorry BBC I cannot condone and will not fund such drivel.

mickaveli2001

I never allow my children to watch CBeebies. It's led by the same corrupt ring concealing abusers within BBC (Saville etc.) and sleazy lords and lobbyists that they promote. They also run CBeebies, and the subliminal messages on that TV show make me sick.

Don't want to pay the TV licence? Then don't. Enforcing people to pay for a service they don't want or need is nothing more than a dictatorship.

The BBC/TV Licencing authority (the same company) lie. Not only do they conceal and hide pedophiles within their inner circles, but they also trick the public into believing they have television detection technology. No such direct technology exists. If NASA, and defense suppliers who build navigational units for guided missiles don't have it then minor league players like the BBC certainly won't.

Sure, they have vans, and they have hand held devices, but they are all fake, cleverly designed to fool the public into believing they can pin point non payers and promote fear, when in reality, they simply run through a data base of UK addresses and just arrogantly "assume" that the house showing non-licence address has a TV receiving live broadcasts.

Move into a new home without even purchasing a TV, and see the initial letters. They assume guilt and attempt to evade before you even have a TV. That is the attitude of the BBC. It's nothing more than a fear mongering robbing criminal racket. I was in a new flat with no TV for a year (work/travel) and I had a total of 8 warning letters. They build on fear and pretend court summons, when the truth is that most incriminate themselves the minute they let one of these crooks in through the door, or respond to them giving them details or another favorite of phoning you up and pretending to be carrying out a survey on behalf of some marketing company, which goes like this:

1) How old are you?
2) What music do you like?
3) What's been your favorite song this year?
4) Do you own a TV?
5) What is your favorite TV show

Bang, they've got you!!!! BBC are full of dirty tricks, and I use the term "dirty" very loosely when talking about these sick twisted individuals

Manchee

mickaveli2001 wrote: »

I never allow my children to watch CBeebies. It's led by the same corrupt ring concealing abusers within BBC (Saville etc.) and sleazy lords and lobbyists that they promote. They also run CBeebies, and the subliminal messages on that TV show make me sick.

Don't want to pay the TV licence? Then don't. Enforcing people to pay for a service they don't want or need is nothing more than a dictatorship.

The BBC/TV Licencing authority (the same company) lie. Not only do they conceal and hide pedophiles within their inner circles, but they also trick the public into believing they have television detection technology. No such direct technology exists. If NASA, and defense suppliers who build navigational units for guided missiles don't have it then minor league players like the BBC certainly won't.

Sure, they have vans, and they have hand held devices, but they are all fake, cleverly designed to fool the public into believing they can pin point non payers and promote fear, when in reality, they simply run through a data base of UK addresses and just arrogantly "assume" that the house showing non-licence address has a TV receiving live broadcasts.

Move into a new home without even purchasing a TV, and see the initial letters. They assume guilt and attempt to evade before you even have a TV. That is the attitude of the BBC. It's nothing more than a fear mongering robbing criminal racket. I was in a new flat with no TV for a year (work/travel) and I had a total of 8 warning letters. They build on fear and pretend court summons, when the truth is that most incriminate themselves the minute they let one of these crooks in through the door, or respond to them giving them details or another favorite of phoning you up and pretending to be carrying out a survey on behalf of some marketing company, which goes like this:

1) How old are you?
2) What music do you like?
3) What's been your favorite song this year?
4) Do you own a TV?
5) What is your favorite TV show

Bang, they've got you!!!! BBC are full of dirty tricks, and I use the term "dirty" very loosely when talking about these sick twisted individuals

Yes, exactly to all of this!

I havent had tv for years. I own a tv but it is not connected to a cable. There is a lot of mis-information in this thread. Firstly you do not need a licence purely because you own equipment that can receive a tv signal. You only need a licence if you are actually watching live tv. Secondly, students who have their main residence listed as their parents address (provided their parents hold a licence) do not need a licence if they are watching live tv from a laptop provided it is not currently plugged into the wall on charge (this way the laptop is regarded as a portable device, all portable devices are covered by your household's licence - portable tvs dont count unless they are battery run, not plugged in).

I refuse to pay for a licence. I've been sent numerous letters from the tv licencing people every year, every single one is threatening. The last one I was sent informed me they were taking me to my local court (again just empty misleading threats). If I was someone less clued up it would have scared me into paying regardless of the fact I dont need to. In my view this is financial extortion. If any other company tried this, they would find themselves swiftly on the wrong side of the law. I am sick of being treated as guilty until I prove myself innocent, by a company who deliberately misleads, uses bully-boy tactics, and squanders the money it receives as if they are a law unto themselves!

Oh and anyone who doesnt pay for their licence, if you ever get anyone turn up from the licencing people, you dont have to let them in, you dont even have to confirm your name or that you live at the address you are in. If you do turn any of them away, be wary of who comes knocking in the next few weeks - its not unheard of for people in this situation to have a visit from a doorstep representative from sky offering them a free upgrade... only it turns out the person isnt from sky and you've just confirmed you watch tv... (not that I condone breaking the law...)

skivenov

What I don't understand is, what is the act of Treason that the letter alleges?

Dave1972_2

I am tired of reading of people complaining that they don't watch the BBC and therefore shouldn't have to buy a TV license. There's a similar comment above, asking "how do I prove that I don't watch the BBC?" These comments are based on the false premise that the TV license is a license to watch the BBC. It is not.

Look: the TV license is a *government permit* to watch TV. Not to watch the BBC. To watch T.V. Get it? It doesn't matter if you tune out all the BBC channels, or even if you cannot receive the BBC in your region. If you operate a TV set, then the government declares that you may do this only with their permission. And that permission is granted in return for a fee. Simple.

I personally have never bought a TV permit and never will, for one simple reason: I do not recognise my government as having the right to grant me permission to watch TV. OK, I rarely watch TV anyway, but when I do then it is my right. Otherwise what next? Should the government grant (sell) us permits to read books? What's the difference? I mean, what if they used the revenue to fund one publication: the Bestest Book in the Whole World, with information galore and beautiful pictures and contributions from some of the best authors ever lived, a science section, quizzes and a trashy story for the working masses - and let's say they made this publication free at the point of receipt; would that make a Book License morally acceptable? No, of course not. I'm convinced that many people would happily pay for a Book Permit nonetheless, finding such justifications as "I think the Bestest Book is brilliant and well worth the license fee," but ignorance is no excuse. It is still morally reprehensible.

If you subscribe to another TV provider then you're basically screwed as they know you are operating a TV and will have you in court quicker than you can scream "fascists!" But if you only watch terrestrial TV, then all you should do is make sure the set cannot be seen from the window. Then deny entry to any TV Licensing Gestapo Goons who come knocking. They have no right of entry. They will threaten to return with a police officer and warrant when refused entry. But this never happens because in order to obtain a warrant they need basic EVIDENCE. As long as you give them none then they are stuck. The onus is on them to prove you watch TV, not on you to prove you do not.

Tear up the pathetic letters that come every few weeks. Don't be tempted to reply with some carefully-considered response as it is not in their mandate to recognise any arguments you have, whether valid or not. Respect your freedom and your basic rights to information exchange in a so-called free country.