Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

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."

3 of 441 comments (clear)

  1. Only if you can receive broadcasts by ScottyLad · · Score: 5, Interesting

    You don't need a TV licence unless your television is set up to receive broadcast programmes.

    In my house, we don't watch any broadcast programmes, but we do watch a lot of DVD's, so we have a set hooked up to our DVD player.

    Recently we were getting increasingly threatening letters from the TV Licensing people, which I ignored after checking checking on http://tvlicensing.co.uk/information/index.jsp#lin k1 which states you need a licence "If you use a TV or any other device to receive or record TV programmes"

    Roll on a couple of weeks and one of the TV inspectors came knocking on my door, had a quick look at my setup and agreed I don't need to pay a license as I had no aerial and no way of receiving broadcast programmes.

    Result!

    --
    Philosopher (n) - a wise person who is calm and rational; someone who lives a life of reason with equanimity
  2. What about mobile phones? by BarryNorton · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I'm not kidding, there was in sensationalist article in a newspaper (so poor I'm sorry to admit having read it) today (ok, it was the Mail), saying that shops are sending the details of all purchases of phones with video capabilities on to the licensing authority!

  3. Well, hardly ever by Vainglorious+Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting
    if they start taxing "innocent people" (AKA people who don't watch online content from the BBC), then they are more or less just a thief with government permission.

    I don't have children, but they steal money from me to pay for schools. I don't drive, but they steal from me to build roads. I don't read, but they steal from me to build libraries.

    The value of the BBC to the nation (indeed the world) is somewhat more than the sum of Eastenders and Porridge.

    --
    My next sig will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush