TV licence non-payment may be decriminalised

[AgaPanthers]

Apparently one in nine of all criminal cases in the magistrates courts are for TV licence non-payment. Basically our courts are being used for Crapita to collect money using menaces.

70 people a year are sent to prison for not paying their TV licence.

The Tories want to decriminalise television watching.

Let's hope it happens.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2576192/TV-licence-dodgers-wont-prosecuted-refuse-pay-dealt-civil-courts-instead.html

[SauceForTheGander]

I agree aga

[hickorychicken]

About time.

[Fifyfomum]

I have a friend who constantly gets harassed for not having a tv licence.

She doesn't, has never had a tv.

She is also 85, so even if she had a licence she would get a free one.

[SauceForTheGander]

fifty

I got harassed once too - the arial wasn't working in a new house I'd moved into so I refused to buy licence. I was contacted weekly about this. I didn't have the money to fix it - but obviously had a TV. They just would not believe that I had a tele that I couldn't watch until I had money to sort.

Was I paranoid but could someone have been taking photos of my house and my non working TV? At the time I saw a man taking photos and I've always wondered about it.

[SauceForTheGander]

Sorry - aerial

[MoreBeta]

The people imprisoned are generally women and generally for non payment of fines. You cant be imprisoned for not having a TV licence.

Personally, I just think we need to be given a choice whether to have BBC or not. The spending at the BBC is out of control.

[SauceForTheGander]

I went right off the BBC when the payoff for the last director general came out. Such a mismanaged expensive mess.,

It's future seems unsure now everyone uses their laptops and channels like Netflix could be the future.

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

It may not be a criminal offence any more but it would still be a civil offence. On a par with not paying parking tickets.

[SauceForTheGander]

Its. My auto correct is free and easy with that apostrophe.

[ThatBloodyWoman]

MoreBeta, no crime=no fine, or at least, no criminally enforceable fine?

[ThatBloodyWoman]

Sorry, no ? MoreBeta!

[AgaPanthers]

The TV licence enforcement is discriminatory - Crapita prosecute twice as many women as men.

[SauceForTheGander]

Women being sent to prison over this sort of thing is appalling.

[ThatBloodyWoman]

It's been happening for years and years under both Tory and Labour governments Sauce.

[insancerre]

agree
and then let's get rid of the fee altogether
I resent paying my tv licence so that the bbc can send presenters off on jollies all around the world
i don't mind watching adverts, I watch them on every other channel and the world hasn't ended yet because of it

[Manchesterhistorygirl]

It's time the licence fee was scrapped. Let programmes sink or swim on their own merit. Top gear for instance is the bbc's biggest selling programme abroad and can more than support itself, it does not need us paying for .

[DonnaDishwater]

I think it should either be scrapped or made optional.

[longfingernails]

A great policy.

It should be followed up with a 5% year on year cut in the next licence fee settlement. That would be a fantastic way to make sure the BBC gets its just desserts. It is easy to sell this sort of cut in the TV tax to the British public when sacked BBC middle managers get millions in redundancy payouts for failure.

[MoreBeta]

LFN - I really feel a cut back to BBC1 and BBC 2 and Radio 1, 2, 3, 4 would be a very good start. Cutting right back to public service provision transmitted only via Freesat with adverts.

It drives me mad how BBC news programmes have multiple presenters sat looking at each other. Whats wrong with one newsreader - reading the news? Far cheaper to present too.

The BBC has a potentially fantastic role to play but is totally out of control.

[trufflehunterthebadger]

Good. Maybe we'll free up some time to get actual crimes dealt with expediously rather than being vacated repeatedly due to "lack of court time"

The other police on here will know what i mean

[MoreBeta]

So if it becomes a civil matter that means it will be like not paying your water, gas, electric bill. In that case, how will BBC cut off your TV feed?

In my view, BBC should just go on Freesat, stop charging a licence fee and use advertising or go to a pay TV service so you only get what you pay for. I pay for Sky package and get BBC channels free but I need to pay for a licence regardless of whether I watch BBC channels which I do very very rarely indeed. If I only watch Sky channels and its illegal for me to do that without a TV licence - which is money that goes to BBC.

In other words my desire to watch Sky and other channels means I have to also pay the BBC a licence fee as well. Makes no sense economically. BBC could put a blue blank screen up on all its channels day and night and I still have to pay the TV licence fee

[AgaPanthers]

The phone company can take you to court if you don't pay, you just don't go to prison.

[ThatBloodyWoman]

I see what you mean MoreBeta, but if you went to prison, they still wouldn't be able to cut off your signal.
And you would still continue to watch tv in prison.....

Just means the fine would be applied and enforced through civil law.

BTW somecof us can't get signals for Sky/Freesat.

Come to that, some of us only get limited viewing with digital (yet still pay the same licence fee)!

[Forago]

Long over due - about time.

[frumpity33higswash]

I dont seem why poor women should go to prison to keep BBC employees living in luxury But I think the Coalition is using the license debate as a ploy. It may not amout to real change