Now I've never had any issues with them, I own a TV and happily pay for the licence. But I just don't understand why the system is the way it is. If it's true that 99.5% of households own a TV, and probably a substantial portion of the rest own at least a radio or, say, a computer with broadband access (which currently doesn't require a licence but arguably should, what with iPlayer and all) then why don't we just scrap the whole thing, simply make it a TV tax and be done with it? All the jobsworths writing those threatening letters would be out on the street, which would actually save everyone involved money.

It's the same in Germany by the way, there's a public broadcaster and you have to pay a fee to legally use receiving equipment. Collecting the fees is done by a pseudo-private company that, if anything, has a worse reputation than the TV Licence people in the UK.

Oh, and while we're in fantasy-land reforming the public broadcasting system, can I please have unencrypted, free downloads of BBC programmes, rather than this proprietary flash iPlayer faff?
(julius, Sat 19 Jun 2010, 7:36, 1 reply)

I suspect
what would happen, is that the tax would be absorbed into 'general revenue', and there would be increased pressure to reduce funding to the BBC in the way that various governments cut funding to everything when they have less coming in than going out.
( Sextant goes to him is emotionally erect, on this day, Sun 20 Jun 2010, 9:04, closed)