BBC Tax makes 180,000 Criminals a year!

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

BBC Tax collectors made another 180,000 criminals last year. These people now make up 12.5% of all cases in the magistrates courts in the UK. Most of these criminals are women, as there are at home when the BBC Tax Inspector calls.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/crime/article3849414.ece

This is an increase of 25% from 2012

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2117389/TV-licence-cheats-make-TENTH-magistrate-court-cases.html

How much longer, in this age of Digital Internet services, must we continue to pay the BBC and its Sales Agents £20 commission?

Join the resistance
http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/

You only need a TV licence to record Live Broadcasts, see http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/topics/what-if-a-tv-licence-is-not-needed-top12/

If you only watch catch up TV and online services such as Netflix or Lovefilm, you can ditch the Tax!

Nick_C

Correction - BBC Tax collectors caught another 180,000 criminals last year.

Great news!

roddydogs

Dont know how, as this site & many others are always telling people how to avoid having a TV licence, etc.

Cornucopia

How/why are people caught?

The people that are caught are mostly the poorest in our society - so they are using old tech (receiving Live TV Broadcasts) and very often don't have access to broadband/equipment to the level necessary for acceptable quality streaming of Catch-up TV.

The typical fine is about the same level as the Licence Fee itself, and every year a handful of people go to prison for non-payment.

It's a stupid and pointless system in which the poor are criminalised for the sake of entertainment.

tvlb1

Nick_C wrote: »

Correction - BBC Tax collectors caught another 180,000 criminals last year.

Great news!

Of those 180k people caught, I estimate at least 80% of them simply pleaded guilty by post because they thought it was the easiest option. That's regardless of whether they knew/thought they were guilty or not.

The same thing happens when people receive an NIP through the post after being caught on a speed camera. Most of them think "I suppose I must have been speeding", so they simply admit they were the driver and pay the FPN when it arrives.

In reality these cases are not always as clear cut as that, but people don't realise they have the right to challenge the evidence and make the prosecution prove their case.

sirmosh

As it stands you're breaking the law if you don't have a TV licence and watch a live broadcast. I refuse to believe as many people are watching only on demand or other pre-recorded content as claim to. I often hear people say something like 'I only hook up the aerial every now and then' and it winds me up.

If you don't want to pay and only stick to the stuff you can watch without a licence then that's absolutely fine, but if you don't want to pay and watch live broadcasts any way then you deserve to get caught.

Cornucopia

I only watch catch-up. Mostly 4oD and iPlayer.

It's worth pointing out that even if you did fancy watching some live broadcasts - let's say Wimbledon - you could easily sign up for a licence for 3 months, and it would cost you £36.76.

I would definitely recommend that to anyone tempted to "hook up the aerial".