Middle class families will be forced to pay more for the licence fee than poor households under plans for a Finnish-style means tested broadcasting levy to pay for the BBC.
John Whittingdale, the Culture Secretary, will today publish a green paper which will propose “root and branch reform” of the BBC as part of its royal charter renewal.
Mr Whittingdale’s green paper will open the door to a replacement for the £145.50 licence fee, which he has previously described as being “worse than the poll tax”.Oh, really? Well, I thought the poll tax was quite a progressive tax (in the good sense of the word ‘progressive’), but one of the reasons it brought anarchy to the streets was that those that had previously flown beneath the radar and mooched off their parents or others without paying anything were suddenly made accountable.
And it looks like this is going to happen again, if this proposal goes ahead:
Under the Finnish system, everyone in the country is required to pay the licence even if they do not have a television.
It means that there can be multiple payers of the levy in a single household.Pity Teresa ruled out those water cannons, eh?
5 comments:
Bunny
Why do I get the feeling that under the new proposals even more money will be raised? I wonder when direct action will start, not only the BBC but lots of other parts of the state?
I think that people would be pretty justified in protesting about being forced to pay for something that they never use. Then again, I hardly ever use public transport but still get taxed to subsidise it.
Stonyground
Weapons grade stupidity. On steroids.
Why the Scammel truck should we pay a telly tax of any kind?
I actually want them to do this, because it will destroy the BBC. It will be like the poll tax all over again. All the usual soap dodgers being chased for their £145, which ironically is about what they would have paid under the actual Poll Tax back in the day. If the BBC wanted to design a funding system that would make them utterly hated and despised, this is what they would come up with.
Maybe thats why the Tories are suggesting it, knowing the BBC will lap it up. The Tories remember what the Poll Tax did to them, they are giving the BBC a poison pill.
"Why do I get the feeling that under the new proposals even more money will be raised?"
That's a definite possibility!
"I think that people would be pretty justified in protesting about being forced to pay for something that they never use. "
Quite. At least public transport can be said to be a communal need. Not so 'Strictly Come Dancing'...
"All the usual soap dodgers being chased for their £145, which ironically is about what they would have paid under the actual Poll Tax back in the day."
Heh! Delicious!
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