Accused

[Bolton Midnight]

Isn't the licence fee for web and radio and not just TV?

Only worth hounding non payers if it makes money, unlike benefit cheat chasing which costs more than it recovers but I'd expect as much from the inept public sector.

[ArrowsFA1]

Only worth hounding non payers if it makes money...

Well worth chasing all those offshore accounts set up by business owners to avoid paying £billions in UK tax then.

[Dave B]

Isn't the licence fee for web and radio and not just TV?

It funds the BBC's radio and online services, but one is not legally required to have a licence to use them.

That's the anomaly which makes it perfectly legal to watch hour upon hour of iPlayer while listening to 6Music and reading the BBC News website; but illegal to watch 10 seconds of live news without a licence.

[Mark]

Isn't the licence fee for web and radio and not just TV?

Yes, it funds Television (incl. digital services), Radio (incl. digital radio) and Web. But of course the charge is only made if you are using a television.

Only worth hounding non payers if it makes money, unlike benefit cheat chasing which costs more than it recovers but I'd expect as much from the inept public sector.

Exactly. You aren't going to spend £1,000 recovering a £100 debt unless you want to make an example of someone.

[Dave B]

Exactly. You aren't going to spend £1,000 recovering a £100 debt unless you want to make an example of someone.

Ah yes, but if the fear of being caught makes 9 other people cough up then you've broken even.

[MrMetro]

One of the problems with BBC channels being on free-to-air satellites, is that people in countrys such as the Republic of Ireland and other European countrys, can easily get a big dish and view them without any license fee.

[Bolton Midnight]

Well worth chasing all those offshore accounts set up by business owners to avoid paying £billions in UK tax then.

Tax avoidance is fine and dandy, you'd be daft to pay more than you have to, esp as so much of it is wasted.

Anybody watch Panorama last night, what a bunch of useless ****ahs

[Dave B]

One of the problems with BBC channels being on free-to-air satellites, is that people in countrys such as the Republic of Ireland and other European countrys, can easily get a big dish and view them without any license fee.

True, but the only other alternative is to encrypt them which would mean each and every UK television being fitted with (or paired to an existing) card reader. The cost would be prohibitive.

[Dave B]

Anybody watch Panorama last night, what a bunch of useless ****ahs

Not personally, but a glimpse at the website would indicate it was about the death of Baby "P". What's that got to do with tax avoidance or the BBC?

[Mark]

One of the problems with BBC channels being on free-to-air satellites, is that people in countrys such as the Republic of Ireland and other European countrys, can easily get a big dish and view them without any license fee.

And that affects you how exactly?