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British PC Tax to Replace TV License?

Posted by Zonk on from the look-for-this-soon-near-you dept.

caffeination writes "Here in Britain, anything capable of receiving live or virtually live broadcasts is considered TV receiving equipment. Because the detector vans can't actually 'catch' people watching such broadcasts on their computers, the BBC is proposing a blanket tax on PCs instead. They received several thousand responses to this green paper, ranging from the insightful to the unprintable."

7 of 441 comments (clear)

  1. Last year's news, changes a long way away by alanw · · Score: 5, Informative
    The Register article dates back to March last year.

    The "BBC Charter Review" consultation closed in May 2005. The consultation was far wider reaching than the methods of funding, never mind proposed taxes on computers.

    The changes to the license fee will not be needed until 2017.

    Who would dare to predict what a "computer" will look like in 10 years time?

    The up-to-date news is the Government Response to the Lords Committee Report on Charter Review, published on the 31 January 2006.

    This document states:

    132. We recommend that the system of funding the BBC until 2017 should be through a licence fee. We support the Government's decision to conduct an interim review of methods of funding but this should not be conducted until after the completion of analogue switch-off.

    The Government welcomes the Committee's support for the licence fee. It is currently conducting a detailed review to establish the future level of the licence fee. Since technology is advancing rapidly, there will be a further review of methods of funding during the lifetime of the next Charter.

    As stated in the Green Paper, this review is currently envisaged to take place towards the end of switchover to ensure that there is adequate time for planning and implementation should it be decided that changes are desirable. The Government will consider the Committee's recommendation that this review should await completion of digital switchover. It is worth noting that there have also been arguments that the review should happen earlier during the switchover process. The Green Paper makes clear, in any case, that the Government will retain the flexibility to alter this timing if the need arises.

    Also remember this - I once had to take a foreign friend (an American living in Switzerland) who was visiting me to the Accident and Emergency department of the local hospital. All they asked for was her name and my name and address: they never asked for any payment. It's just as strange for someone in the UK to hear that you might be asked to pay in advance for emergency hospital treatment as for an American to hear that you need to pay a tax on televisions.

    1. Re:Last year's news, changes a long way away by DAldredge · · Score: 4, Informative

      It is illegal for a hospitals in the USA to refuse to provied emergency services due to the clients inability to pay.

    2. Re:Last year's news, changes a long way away by MindStalker · · Score: 4, Informative

      Thats because TV stations make money through commericals. BBC does not play commericals, thus the need for a tax. So the exact comparison would be Americans pay taxes through commericals, and higher prices on products we buy.

    3. Re:Last year's news, changes a long way away by mmzplanet · · Score: 4, Informative

      It is illegal for any ER to turn away any patient. EMTALA states that it is illegal to alter treatment decisions or methods based on financial considerations. You can go into any ER (public or private) and not volunteer name/ SSN, address or anything and you MUST be treated same as anyone else. If the hospital does anything to make you feel otherwise they are violating the law. Our hospital will not discuss what your co-pay is until you have been seen by medical staff (at least triaged). Even if you refuse, you are still treated the same as a fully insured/paid patient. You are even admitted if it is required. If you dont have the cash for the prescription... the hospital will provide it. They can only send you to another hospital if you have a condition that is beyond the hospital's capabilities. Even then a doctor on both ends must sign off on a transfer confirming that you are stable enough to be transported and both doctors agree its in the best interest. If it comes down to a transfer situation from an ER... you won't be taking yourself. If you do not have insurance all they can do is bill you later in the mail. I was always able to spot those who knew the system... some frequent fliers always gave a different name and never gave a SSN (or a false one)each visit. Still nothing the hospital can do to stop it.

    4. Re:Last year's news, changes a long way away by baadger · · Score: 4, Informative
      £126.50 - thats $221 USD.

      Here is an interesting quote from the TV licensing website. Emphasis is mine

      Do I need a licence?

      If you use a TV or any other device to receive or record TV programmes (for example, a VCR, set-top box, DVD recorder or PC with a broadcast card) - you need a TV Licence. You are required by law to have one.
      If you receive British TV to your PC now by way of a tuner card you need a license, so I don't see why getting programming solely through the Internet should be any different.

      There have been some pretty interesting developments reported recently regarding TV and video content via the Internet with my UK ISP, NTL:

      By the way, the license _technically_ isn't for owning a TV, if you have no means to receive a television signal, from cable, terrestrial or satellite noone can force you to pay a penny and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!
  2. Detector van evidence has never been used in court by nih · · Score: 3, Informative
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_licence
    Despite the prevalence of so-called "detector-vans" in TVL advertising and literature, the main method of detecting evaders is an address-based database system called "LASSY". This is basically a list of all addresses in the UK - letters and agents from Capita are sent to any address not listed as a paying customer. No evidence from any kind of "detection equipment" has been used by Capita in any UK court case to date - some speculate that it would be inadmissable because information about how such equipment works is not known (unlike for example Gatso speed cameras).
    they might as well be white vans not capable of detecting any tv signals, afaik they are...
    --
    I'm a rabbit startled by the headlights of life :(
  3. Australian TV funding by quenda · · Score: 3, Informative

    And whatever it is, I don't think it's good. I went on holiday last year for three weeks to Australia and television there is wall to wall crap. Adverts every couple of minutes

    You are confusing two thing:
    - federally tax-funded television, ABC and SBS, which can be very good, and programs are never interrupted by adverts.
    - advertising funded commercial TV which has descended from bad to utter crap.

    Fortunately all the good programs from commercial networks are available on DVD or bit-torrent. (both of them? :-)
    And all the good topical doco / current affairs programs are on non-commercial stations. (Except Nine's "Sunday" program.) So you need never watch adverts, not even on fast-forward.