The absurdity of Britain's television licencing fee...

[Bush loves Jiang]

In the UK, you must pay a BBC licence fee if you own a television so that the BBC can provide many channels of quality public broadcasting. I had no qualms with this until today:

A friend of mine from the UK wants to buy a TV for the sole purpose of paying his videogames. Why should he have to pay as well? Owning a TV and not using the BBC is the same as not owning a TV at all and should therefore be treated the same way.

[tkmorris]

1. I dunno

See, he could watch BBC. Even though he doesn't intend to, he could. The person who doesn't own a TV cannot watch the BBC. Taxes aren't always paid only by those who utilize the benefits.

[Bush loves Jiang]

2. I'm confused here...

Does everybody who buys a TV automatically get free BBC service?

I guess this is one area where I prefer the model of private cable companies being the one to carry public broadcasting over the air waves.

[pasadenaboy]

3. I think its great

it keeps the BBC funded with public funds, so it doesn't have to whore itself out to corporate interests like PBS does.

I lived in London for a while, and I had no problem with it.

If he wants to play video games, buy a moniter. There is no tax on that.

[Bamboo]

4. You'll Never Find a More Wretched Hive of Scum and Villany.

Conservatives want to eliminate the TV tax because it is socialistic not just absurd.If paying taxes makes your friend angry then playing violent video games should be a good escape.When I subscribe to a sports package on cable I get right wing news whether I like it or not.Rupert Murdoch is paying so much for broadcast rights to sporting events to get subcribers who then subsidize his right wing news channels nobody would buy alone.I trust the people of Britain to preserve the BBC as a global brand,sports is quite socialistic with complicated rules like those video games.

[Kellanved]

5. same thing in Germany

If it has a tuner you gotta pay. It is especially absurd in Berlin, as the digital television we have here can't even be received with an old TV - yet the owner of my favourite Video Games Store has to pay for the Demo TV in the window (he has neither a decoder for terrestric digital TV nor an antenna plug for cable in the shop).

Then again: 20 channels of commercial-free quality information (and sometimes folkmusic/polka :puke: ) and entertainment are worth something.

[DemExpat]

6. Holland too....and if this prevents Dutch tv from morphing into

totally American-style television.....I'm all for this!

:kick:

DemEx

[jonoboy]

7. tell him to pay unless he wants Rupert Murdoch to control UK tv