We've Got Boris On Our Side,c'mon Boris ,you Tell Them

[Bobbisox1]

That ALL 75s should have a free TV licence, the BBC hit back by doing this we'd lose BBC 2 and Radio 5 live , Scrap the Bias BBC might be better

[TheChair]

The government set the licence fee, not the BBC.

[Bobbisox1]

The Chair , I believe the Government handed that poisoned chalice back to the corporation ?

[Bobbisox1]

Looking it up, it's as clear as mud but if it's as you say,then why would Boris be telling the bbc they've reneged on a promise?

[ichkeria]

The BBC has never funded this (Labour government granted) concession.
The Tory government has stopped it and some years ago it artfully pushed the expense onto the BBC. That is about to come into
effect now. There was an act of blackmail waiting to happen and the current PM has gleefully done the honours.
If this concession is to remain it should continue to be funded by the government and not passed to the BBC, which will have to seriously cut its programming to pay for it and that’ll affect everyone, over 75s included of course.

[douglas9401]

Brexit and circuses.

[Arrods]

Oh come on - they're not scrapping free TV licences for all over 75s. If we're not careful, they'll be wanting free bus travel, free prescriptions, cheaper rail travel, exemption from certain NI contributions.....wait a minute.

I agree with you ichkeria.

[Old_Geezer]

Were he really on your side he'd offer to foot the bill.

This is a weird situation anyway. Neither is paying any bill. It's about less collected not something paid out. And the taxman does the collection anyway. The BBC isn't going to go around pensioners' houses reimbursing owt. They get what they're given.

Best thing would be to scrap the licence and simply fund the service.

[pixie374]

Nobody should be paying a license fee nowadays. Especially when there are so many alternatives.

[tonyav]

To right, pixie. Let the BBC fund their selves like every other tv company has to.

[THELOONYCORBYN]

"which will have to seriously cut its programming to pay for it and that’ll affect everyone, over 75s included of course."

have you seen the list of channels...start off by getting rid of the minority and ethnic channels...want their own progs then apply for a broadcasting licence and make their own...theres a ton of garbage they can stop producing/making, only a handful will "miss" them...
Blatantly Biased Clowns need to broken up and forced to compete on the open market...lets see how good they are then...
Call them what you like but they are basically an off shoot of the civil service...run along the same lines...run by old school lefties in the main...and people are taxed to use them and fund the lifestyle theyve become used to, spending other peoples money...

dont watch live , dont need a licence, plenty of far better material out there to watch and easy to get access to...

[dannyk13]

//dont watch live , dont need a licence//
If you have a televison set capable of receiving broadcasts then you do need a licence.

[Gromit]

The Government want a National Broadcaster, so the Government should pay for it, not from a stupid licence fee, but through direct taxation.
The BBC should not be a Benefits Agency, it is a programme maker. The BBC did not bring this in, it was the Government. The concession does not benefit the BBC in anyway, so it should not have to fund it.

// We've Got Boris On Our Side //
Not really. The Government has paid for this for 10 years, but now Mr Johnson’s Party has now it no longer wants this burden, and it wants someone else to stump up the cash.

[dannyk13]

Just checked BBC1 programmes today.The first 11 programmes are repeats.Good value for £154 pa ? I think not.

[dannyk13]

On BBC2 there are 20 repeats.

[aelmpvw]

//We've Got Boris On Our Side//
ah, the naivety

[Bobbisox1]

BBC still live in the past of being The Old Boys Network of civil servants

[THELOONYCORBYN]

"//dont watch live , dont need a licence//
If you have a televison set capable of receiving broadcasts then you do need a licence."

Wrong !!!...

"Part 4 of the Communications Act 2003 makes it an offence to use or install TV receiving equipment to:

watch or record programmes as they’re being shown on TV or live on an online TV service, including programmes streamed over the internet and satellite programmes from outside the UK, or
watch or download BBC programmes on demand, including catch up TV, on BBC iPlayer without being covered by a TV Licence."

Able to receive or not, you dont need a licence to own a TV set, nor are you under any obligation or is there any law that says you must inform TV licensing of ownership

[Gromit]

The Licence Fee was introduced because not everyone had a radio. It was thought that the fairest option would be to only charge people who had the equipment.
Nowadays everyone has a television, so it would be far more efficient to fund it from the tax that everyone pays.

[aelmpvw]

^ if you weren't going to do any of the above you wouldn't bother buying a tv would you?

[Gromit]

The optimum word is ‘Live’ programmes. You can use streaming services such as Netflix or Amazon, and ITV Hub and 4 on Demand without a TV Licence.