TV licences

DandelionPatrol

UKParliament wrote: »

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all the comments in this thread!

The Culture, Media and Sport Committee have now launched an inquiry into the BBC Charter Review and they want to hear your thoughts.

....

Find out how you can send you thoughts to the Committee

Wonderful. Nearly.

When you go to the linked page, it says

How to respond

Written submissions should be sent online via the BBC Charter Review inquiry page. This inquiry is open for submissions from Wednesday 22 July. Submissions should be received by Wednesday 30 September 2015

But there is no actual link to the inquiry page.

So are the public actually allowed to comment, or is it just for insiders?

And is it possible to comment by ordinary mail?

HappyMJ

UKParliament wrote: »

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all the comments in this thread!

The Culture, Media and Sport Committee have now launched an inquiry into the BBC Charter Review and they want to hear your thoughts.

The particular areas they want your thoughts on are:

- The possible replacement of the licence fee with a universal household levy; and a longer-term possibility of a move to a degree of subscription for BBC services

That's just replacing one regressive tax with another regressive tax. A £145.50 tax to someone on minimum wages is 1.23% of their wages assuming they work 35 hours a week for 52 weeks and with that wage they probably can only afford to walk to work and only have one telly.

A family with the head of the household working 45 hours a week as a manager in a well paying job earning no less than £50,000 with 2 teenage children and 4 televisions in the house is paying just 0.3% of their income for 4 times the benefit.

What's wrong with just adding it general taxation? Allow the BBC to show some advertising only between programming and allow the BBC to charge for online content. That'll be a start.

We have some of the highest regressive taxes/charges (council taxes for one) in the world. They make low earning individuals poorer and high earning families richer. They need to be minimized as much as possible.

Cornucopia

DandelionPatrol wrote: »

Wonderful. Nearly.

When you go to the linked page, it says

It's slightly confusing.

If you click through to here:

http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/culture-media-and-sport-committee/inquiries/parliament-2015/bbc-charter-review-15-16/

There is a blue button marked "send a written submission". It does appear to be restricted to receiving submissions by electronic document submission (not post or email). But it does accept responses categorised as "organisation" or "individual".

UKParliament

DandelionPatrol wrote: »

Wonderful. Nearly.

When you go to the linked page, it says



But there is no actual link to the inquiry page.

So are the public actually allowed to comment, or is it just for insiders?

And is it possible to comment by ordinary mail?

Hi DandelionPatrol

The submission page is located here

If you would like to submit evidence in another format, please do contact the Committee who will be able to advise you on how best to do this.

Contact the Committee

Swipe

HappyMJ wrote: »

That's just replacing one regressive tax with another regressive tax.

...that no one can opt out of.

poppasmurf_bewdley

Swipe wrote: »

...that no one can opt out of.

Can you name a tax that one CAN opt out of?

Swipe

poppasmurf_bewdley wrote: »

Can you name a tax that one CAN opt out of?

The current form of the TV licence

HappyMJ

poppasmurf_bewdley wrote: »

Can you name a tax that one CAN opt out of?

Income tax.

You can choose to not earn an income and if you don't earn anything or don't earn enough you don't have to pay it.

All of my income is not taxed. It's great but I can't opt out of council tax.

I have never had and never will get a TV licence....I do watch plenty of TV but I never watch or record it as it is broadcast. I wait half an hour for it to become available on BBC iPlayer or on the many services available online.

Heedtheadvice

Undoubtedly the BBC, the "competition" and technology have changed over the years but the license fee basis has not really changed significantly. It really no longer fits the bill that was it's original purpose funding THE public service broadcaster, programme making, the infrastructure, research and development, training of virtually all broadcasters and funding of the World Service.

However whatever replaces it, and I guess it is becoming more and more likely that it will be replaced, needs to maintain the advantages and not sink to the lowest level of broadcasting.

I have yet to hear of a system that fits the bill as a replacement.

There is a good argument that paying a big fee to watch live programmes on just other channels that are funded via subscription or advertising is iniquitous but an equally good one that we truly need an independent PSB for the good of us all, our image abroad, and output independent of commercial or editorial pressures deriving from the owner's interests.

Make no mistake that the BBC's output overall is up with the best, if not the best, in the world and this is owing to several factors. The charter basis, the stability of it's income stream, the limited pressure to be commercially successful, greater time actually broadcasting programmes and the lack of the need to edit around advertising breaks or the need to make mainly just popular programmes to maximise subscriptions.
There have certainly been pressures mounting over recent years reducing quality to some extent and a far greater number of output streams as well as greater commercial income by secondary means.

Taxation out of general government income and therefore more political interference iis to be avoided and deplored.
Advertising and subscription are bound to lead go a reduced quality owing to pressures (as well as programme interruptions) and a general dumming down of the more high quality programmes leading go an unbalanced output and less financial stability for innovation, support of fledgling broadcasters, and reduced technical developments that resulted from the BBC being world leaders.

So as yet I have not come across an adequate replacement. Many may think that funding by advertising is free TV. It is not we ALL pay via our purchases whether we watch or not, without choice or knowledge - apart from boycott of purchases!
Subscription generally costs far more for much less.
We need to take care that this does not mean the demise of the BBC, let's improve it, yes, otherwise for one thing many who benefit watching programmes on other channels have the BBC to thank - but not always directly.
Must admit I do not wish to see TV consisting just of endless American shows or "popular" low quality programmes. We need to balance what we need rather than just what we like with a fair and independent way to fund our PSB.
(Note that we already have other psb broadcasting but it is not quite comparable )

Heedtheadvice

HappyMJ wrote: »

I have never had and never will get a TV licence....I do watch plenty of TV but I never watch or record it as it is broadcast. I wait half an hour for it to become available on BBC iPlayer or on the many services available online.

So here you just justify making a subscription for iplayer.....:rotfl: