Computer tax set to replace TV licence fee. (Britain)

TIMESONLINE ^ | March 03, 2005 | Adam Sherwin and Dan Sabbagh

[atomic_dog]

Computer tax set to replace TV licence fee

By Adam Sherwin and Dan Sabbagh

THE BBC licence fee should be replaced by a tax on the ownership of a personal computer instead of a television, ministers said yesterday.

Tessa Jowell told the BBC that the licence fee would be retained for at least another ten years until 2017 in return for abolishing the Board of Governors. But the Culture Secretary conceded that technological advances would mean that a fee based on “television ownership could become redundant”.

More than six million households have access to high-speed broadband connections and the BBC has begun experimenting with broadcasting video clips over the internet.

A legal loophole highlighted by the communications regulator Ofcom means that viewers could watch television and listen to radio over the internet and mobile devices free, potentially costing the BBC millions of pounds in licence fees.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Green Paper setting out the BBC’s long-term future proposed a solution that could end the traditional fee.The paper suggested “either a compulsory levy on all households or even on ownership of PCs as well as TVs”. It said that technology might render it difficult to collect and enforce the fee.

Officially, the Government says that changes would not be needed until 2017, when the next BBC royal charter expires. A spokeswoman for the Department for Culture said that it was not worried for now, but insiders said that the department would act if internet viewing took off.

Over the next few years, internet broadcasting is set to increase rapidly as the quality of the images improves. The BBC already broadcasts all its radio stations over the internet, and began broadcasting live coverage of the Olympic Games last summer. The BBC has promised further internet broadcasts and is launching a hand-held viewing device.

Ofcom predicts that more than half of Britain’s households will be watching television over the internet by 2012. Other emerging technologies will allow television to be broadcast direct to mobile phones. The mobile phone company O2 is planning trials this year, with the aim of a commercial service by 2007.

The publication of the paper was accompanied by a warning from Ms Jowell, who said that the BBC must give higher priority to public-interest programming, and not chase “ratings for rating’s sake”.

The BBC welcomed the reforms, which were widely interpreted as a victory for the Chairman Michael Grade, who said that he was “happy to sign up”, but was “slightly regretful” that the governors would be split in two

[atomic_dog]

That's just wrong. Funny what they'll put up with.

[Petronski]

Why are the Brits such chumps for this stuff?


"Put up with it" indeed.

[Sloth]

Indeed. Licensing televisions is insanity.

[Yo-Yo]

Really funny when you consider the License Fee is currently 121 GBP ($232.80 US) per household per year! Insanity!

[Fresh Wind]

Licensing radios (and later TV's) has been around since the earliest days of broadcasting in Britain. This was supposed to be the funding source for the BBC though I suspect it pays for a lot more than just the BBC now. Originally, the tax was paid on a per set basis, paid as part of the price of the set. Now, it appears to be on a per household basis, paid annually. Ain't socialism wonderful!

[The Great RJ]

Believe me, many state legislatures have similar taxes in mind for us. Look at your land line phone bill or even your cell phone bill to see the huge bite in taxes and fees you are already paying. While I doubt that taxing indvidual computers would stand the test for civil liberties in our system, your local and federal lawmakers would just love to tax your Internet access.

[kAcknor]

Computer tax set to replace TV licence fee.

Replace?

Not likely.

The tax will be added in addition to, but never replaced.

I haven't been to England in more than 20 years, but taxes are taxes and they never come off.

[AdamSelene235]

Stained glass out of glass coloured of Fabian Society, produced on the initiative of the writer George Bernard Shaw, eminent member of Fabian. One sees it with work with another character of first plan, Sidney Webb - founder member of Fabian Society (and founder in London of " London School of Economics " [ Marxist ] which since 1894 contributes to provide to the British Establishment its top executives) - while with the assistance of robust masses it works to reforge the world according to the legend which appears in top of the window: " remoult it nearer to the hearts desire ". The followers of lower degree are represented knelt in bottom, in worship in front of a pile of books of socialist propaganda which one manages with difficulty to decipher some titles : " Fabian Tracs and Essays " (Opuscules fabiens et essais), " Industrial Democracy " (Dimocratie industrielle), " History of Trade Unions " (His- toire des Trade Unions, les syndicats anglais), English Social Government (Gouverne- ment social anglais), etc. The inscriptions on the ecu towards the center of the stained glass, a little on the left make a synthesis between the two scenes '.

"PRAY DEVOUTLY , reads one above, while below one encourages: HAMMER STOUTLY " Between the two blacksmiths one sees the badge of Fabian Society where is represented a crawling wolf, the back covered with a skin of lamb, to testify to aggressiveness, decision and dissimulation of the initiates, as the words of Amold Toynbee attest it, disciple of John Ruskin in Oxford, member of the Round Table and Fabian Society, when it proclaimed:

"... we must constantly deny with the lips what we did with the hand ".

[longtermmemmory]

whoever came up with this obviously knows nothing about computers or building computers or how much of a fungible comodity computer "boxes" have become.

What about offices? What about computers that are only dial up or (gasp!) without modem?

Politicians, seek to protect taxes not phase them out.

This is like the per mile proposal to make up for the acievement of fuel efficient vehicles on tax revenues.

[ElkGroveDan]

Has anyone suggested instead that government SPEND LESS?....Didn't think so.

[Winniesboy]

Now, it appears to be on a per household basis, paid annually

Only if you actually own a TV. If you don't, as I don't, no fee is payable.

[David Hunter]

More than six million households have access to high-speed broadband connections and the BBC has begun experimenting with broadcasting video clips over the internet.

This is ridiculous. If the BBC is so worried about losing money because people who don't own TVs are watching their programmes on the Internet then perhaps the BBC should stop putting video files of its shows on its website! Why should British Broadband users be forced to pay the BBC just because they COULD watch stuff which the BBC decides to put on the Internet?

BTW, many Brits, including myself, hate the biased BBC and refuse to fund them. See: Abolish the TV license and Stop the BBC Bias Campaign

[Paleo Conservative]

Tessa Jowell told the BBC that the licence fee would be retained for at least another ten years until 2017 in return for abolishing the Board of Governors. But the Culture Secretary conceded that technological advances would mean that a fee based on ?television ownership could become redundant?.

Abolishing the Board of Governors in 2017? They should be marched in front of a firing squad immediantly.

[MadIvan]

The BBC has done only one thing for us recently:

Freeview

This is a service I use - but never to watch the channels the BBC offers.

Regards, Ivan