Would you be willing to pay more for your TV licence to ensure it stays free for over 75s?

[ChaosTrulyReigns]

I blinking would.

I know it's be a administrative impossiblity to achieve, but volunteering to pay an extra £5/£10 per year? Could it work?

My 83 year old mum was rolling around in pain and crying on Saturday. Cant get decent treatment on the NHS so is planning on going private.

Or at least she was until she heard todays news. Parents arent on Pension Credit but their money dosnt stretch to the moon and back.

No. I live alone and have to pay the whole bloody thing myself. I don't even have an annoying man I live with to split the cost or ungrateful children to benefit from it

The current pensioners are better off that the next generation will be!

I thought if you lived alone there was a discount? Or is that council tax?

I wouldn't pay more because it's already not worth it. I'm not happy that they're cutting it though because it will affect my parents who currently get it free and won't. They rely on my dad's crappy private pension & 2 paltry state pensions. Their bills go up each year, their income doesn't.

Nope. I don’t even have a tv licence myself (or watch the BBC, obviously) as I have no interest in supporting such an organisation when other services are available.

Help the baby boomers? Err no!!!

We have to shake this idea everyone of pension age fought in the war- it’s 2019

No way! Wish I didn’t have to pay it. Biggest rip off ever (well, one of many!).

Never puzzled out how husband's gran got a war widows pension as well as state pension when he died in 1960🤔

No, but I think it should be means tested, and an amount paid accordingly.
Plenty of 75 years and older who are well off.

No, only give it to poor pensioners. And the same applies to heating allowance and bus passes. This current generation of pensioners have it far easier that any other generation will ever have in the future

Nope.
I don't see why they get it free (same with free bus pass). Age does not equal financial poverty.

I think it should be means tested across the board and households under a certain income gets it reduced or free.

It's about time some politicians stopped pandering to the grey vote in my opinion.

I'd happily pay more in taxes for properly funded nationalised health services (fuck off virgin care et al), properly funded state education (again nationally ran not allowing people to pocket cash), properly funded social care etc.

No.

No.

Pensioners, as a group, are among the wealthiest sections of society. It is unfair to expect young people who are burdened with high rents, huge mortgages and massive student debts to subsidise the TV licenses of comfortably off / affluent old people.

The BBC’s proposed compromise of restricting free licenses to those over 75s who are entitled to Pension Credit is a sensible compromise.

What a horrible thread. I don’t know any wealthy 75 year olds. I won’t be wealthy at that age.

I’m happy to subsidise tv licence, prescriptions, free travel etc for pensioners who need it. And l don’t mean those on the bottom rung of pension credits. The very wealthy shouldn’t be subsidised, but the middle to botto should.

No way. Means testing this is a good thing. Do the bus pass next please.

Agreed, @ FaFoutis

Affluent old people should have to pay to use public transport like the rest of us.

Nope. But if they want to means test across the population that's fine. Poverty isn't just something that happens to the elderly.

No.
My in-laws are in their 70s, they both have very good pensions which allow them to travel frequently, they often give DH and his sister large lump sums to put into the mortgage (thanks to them we own homes we wouldn’t otherwise be able to), they were both teachers and have a much higher standard of living teachers would be able to have now. They can easily afford the tv license fee and so can most of their friends. It’s right to be means tested.

I'm closer to that age than most here, and no I wouldn't pay extra now, and I certainly wouldn't want my daughters' generation to subsidise me when I reach that age. They have it hard enough.

Poor pensioners will still get it free. Those who can afford it should pay.

I agree with this approach. There are too many things that are free for blanket groups of people. The same should be done for prescriptions (in England) - only make them free for people in receipt of tax credits/benefits - not simply for everyone who is old/pregnant/has children - and bus passes, eye-tests etc.

No. But it should be means tested. Plenty of wealthy older people who get bus pass, fuel allowance, had free uni, had child benefit... while younger generation have had & will get much less support (& maybe not for much longer). It makes me 😡 that my wealthy pils claim these things and are rather smug about it!

OP, if you know someone of that age who can't afford it, and who doesn't meet the criteria for a free license, pay it for them. Simple.

Definitely not. I’d happily pay more to allow those who are on low incomes to pay less but not pensioners as a group - my in laws travel the world and then come home to their free tv licence and winter fuel allowance, run two cars and get free bus passes.

And voted Leave.

They can pay.

No bloody way

Happy to let them have free public transport though. We had an 80 year old woman in recently who’d crashed her car into a lamppost, careered across the road and written off two parked cars. 8.30 in the morning. School kids everywhere, asked her what happened and she said “I have very bad eyesight”. Let them keep the free bus passes and get them off the road