Proposed new TV licence fines

Legacy_user

Just been reading that if it get passed from Autumn if you don't have a licence but do pay a subscription to any service the fines could be doubled .

Looks like those who chose not to pay but essentially can will be hit harder.

Subscription services could be made to hand over details of all its members.

kingrulzuk

CHRISSYG wrote: »

Just been reading that if it get passed from Autumn if you don't have a licence but do pay a subscription to any service the fines could be doubled .

Looks like those who chose not to pay but essentially can will be hit harder.

Subscription services could be made to hand over details of all its members.

Service like Netflix?

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

The TV Tax is still a criminal offence, they would need a warrant from a magistrate to open any investigation. To do this they need clear evidence that an offence is being committed.
Never say a word to the Regressive TV Tax Collector

Nilrem

Erm since when does any criminal matter require a warrant from a magistrate to do any investigation?

They need a warrant to force entry, but like the police (or anyone else) they can simply ask questions, and like the police can give evidence based on what they've seen regardless of if they had a warrant (if one was not needed).

If you're stupid enough to watch TV in a position that is visible from say a window by the front door it doesn't require a warrant to note that someone has seen it when knocking at the door and even more stupid if you have the TV in a position that can easily be seen from the street - a lot of houses near me have large front windows and you can see what people are watching on the 32-40"+ screens when walking past (the human eye tends to be drawn to movement).

From what I understand the proposed changes to the fines basically bring the TVL into line with virtually every other offence, by allowing "aggravating" factors to be taken into account.
In other crimes that would include premeditation, so if you've paid for a subscription for live TV you're fairly obviously planning to watch it which would (in other offences) be something that would be taken into account with the punishment.

Robisere

How soon before you need a licence to watch TV through someone else's window?
:rotfl:

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

The regressive TV Tax Collector relies on you telling them your name, and you have a TV as a means of evidence gathering, before they criminalise you in court. This is how they gather their evidence, a kind of self confession. If you say nothing, they cannot gather evidence. To get to my windows, they would commit an offence of trespass, and the magistrate would not like this when the warrant us cotested.

Don't pay the TV Tax.

HappyMJ

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth wrote: »

The regressive TV Tax Collector relies on you telling them your name, and you have a TV as a means of evidence gathering, before they criminalise you in court. This is how they gather their evidence, a kind of self confession. If you say nothing, they cannot gather evidence. To get to my windows, they would commit an offence of trespass, and the magistrate would not like this when the warrant us cotested.

Don't pay the TV Tax.

Don't watch TV as it's broadcast and there won't be a problem.

There is so much available on catch up and so easy to access with an Amazon Fire Stick with Kodi that watching TV as it's broadcast isn't needed any more.

When I do watch TV I do wonder why people do it. There's so much advertising that fills one quarter of your viewing time. You could watch the same number of programs in 3 hours using catch up or you could spend £145 and spend 4 hours watching the same on live TV.

I do not have a TV licence.

Mahone1302

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth wrote: »

The regressive TV Tax Collector relies on you telling them your name, and you have a TV as a means of evidence gathering, before they criminalise you in court. This is how they gather their evidence, a kind of self confession. If you say nothing, they cannot gather evidence. To get to my windows, they would commit an offence of trespass, and the magistrate would not like this when the warrant us cotested.

Don't pay the TV Tax.

You may wish to brush up on your understanding of the law before providing 'advice' to others. There is no 'offence' of trespass, however civil complaints of trespass can be made in a civil court. TVL staff have the same implied rights of access to peoples property that everybody else has; in simple terms that being the right of access to get to the front door, for example.

A Magistrate wouldn't be the least bit interested in you complaining that TVL staff had 'trespassed' if all they had actually done was use their implied rights of access to get to your front door. If you wanted to make a civil complaint of trespass then for a start you'd need to either show that you had removed their implied right of access AND had informed them of this, or show that the TVL staff went beyond what is considered reasonable public access to your property.