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?

Seems a bit ridiculous to be comparing watching TV to prescriptions for glasses and medicine.

It would be fab if everyone who gets it free now just refuses to pay and blocks up tne court system. Secondly I hope all those pensioners not claiming benefits start to and it gives a big increase in benefits. Maybe then the government will sit up and make the BBC pay for itself. Perhaps then it might start providing a decent service.

No. I stopped paying the overblown nepotistic BBC a long time ago. I use Netflix and Prime.

No more Pension Credit for people who have a partner or spouse younger than pension age, it's UC for them and no one quibbled.

You must have aTV licence if you watch ANY live TV or if you record live TV. You cannot say that you will simply stop watching the BBC

Chick, most pensioners have worked bloody hard all their life. Most started work at 14. Lots have been through really hard time. As I said, my parents, had to go without food, without clothes etc to ensure me and my 2 siblings didn't. We had 2 holidays growing up both in this country.

What age to people start work now? Yes they have to work till they are older but my mum worked into her late 60's because they could not afford for her to retire.

My dad worked days and he would get home as mum was going out to work evenings. He would look after us and cook our evening meal etc.

I think to begrudge them a tv licence is stingy to say the least.

Maybe they are not struggling as much as they have in the past but they are certainly not well off. Just the fact they did struggle for so many years and go without so much should mean they are entitled to free tv licence. It's £12 a month for goodness sake not £120 a month.

But life doesn't work like that. Millions of people will struggle their entire lives and are unlikely to see the benefits of retirement that current pensioners do (68 is the age I can currently take both my NHS and state pension, who knows how far that will rise in future). It's not about a race to the bottom but an acknowledgment that not every pensioner is living in the breadline.

And as for the argument it will increase pension credit claims... good. I'll happily pay more tax for people who need benefits to receive them, I just don't accept we should pay for blanket benefits for the likes of my in laws who to be quite frank are rolling in it now. Yes they worked hard for it, but so will I and my retirement is unlikely to look half as good as theirs.

God, there are some bitter people out there

No sorry I wouldn't.
I would prefer they scrap it entirely. I could live with adverts. I don't have a TV licence as I don't want watch the BBC.

cupoftea, you don't have to record any live tv if you don't want to. You can just watch it on catch up. Then I thought you didn't need a licence? Certainly there are enough people on other forums saying they haven't had a licence for years because they only watch on catch up.

I can’t stand adverts & would much rather chose to pay

If you do watch then £12 a month is not a lot is it? People pay that month to buy shit coffee from Starbucks

You're right, it's not a lot. In fact it's cheaper than a once a week bingo session at Gala.

mydogisthebest Pensioners do not own the monopoly on hard work. I've worked with pensioners. Many of whom were working class. Most of the women I've worked with spent their lives working part time and bringing up children. I don't resent anyone receiving benefits for whatever reason however the idea that every pensioner has been working 100 hours a week down the pit since they were 8 and spent their lives with holey shoes and living off half a slice of bread so the kids could eat is as disingenuous as the very pensioner is wealthy argument. Means testing, as with every other benefit is the fairest way.

darkriver, good for you that you would be happy to have ads on the BBC. I certainly would not. I would be happy to pay more a month to ensure that the BBC remains ad free (yes I know they have some ads for programmes).

Ads drive me mad. They are all annoying and they spoil good programmes and films. Who the hell is happy watching a film interrupted all the time by ads? That's why I go to the cinema to get fully engrossed in a film without moronic ads.

I just don't know how anyone can be happy to have their viewing interrupted every few mins but endless ads unless they have the attention span of a flea

mydog
That didn't really address any of my points , I'm sure your parents worked really hard , but then who ever comes on here and says different. Generally pensioners they won't have worked all their life , they had access to retiring in their 50/60s so had a fair time in retirement. Your experience may be different but I'm talking generally.

Formerly, my mum went back to work when we were young because she had to. As I said, she worked evenings so she could be at home during the day and dad could look after us in the evening. As we got older she got other jobs. At one stage she had 3 jobs.

Many women today stay at home with children or work part time and they now get benefits, quite a lot of benefits if my neighbours are anything to go by. The female is 28 and has only ever worked 2 years of her life so far. She has a young baby so it will be a long time before she works again if she ever does. Hardly putting money into the system for any pension is she? The male works but part time in order to claim the most benefits. They are definitely better off than my parents. They run 2 cars, they both smoke, they both have the latest mobile phones.

I think pensioners are now the least like group to live in poverty in the UK, so, no, I wouldn't pay for their TV licence.

Most of the people I know aged over 75 worked all their lives. None of them retired in their 50's. The only pensioners I know who I would think were comfortable are ones younger than 70.

You must have aTV licence if you watch ANY live TV or if you record live TV. You cannot say that you will simply stop watching the BBC

And this model is outdated. It's a tax by another name. Let the BBC charge £12 to those who want to watch it and not others. It has nowhere near the integrity in news reporting that it used to have and not does it have the monopoly on good drama that it used to. As has been seen recently it also got some fairly dodgy morals and an inability to change.

I wouldn't pay more regardless of whether over 75s get it free or not.

Probably not many people statistically work after 75 . What changed for those younger than 70 ?

anyone who was in WWII is now 92, those who were 16 may have helped in Home guard etc they are now 90
There maybe a case of just making it free after 90 but David Attenborough etc don't need free licences he is a great TV presenter but was and is paid handsomely for it, he doesn't need subsides and i'm pretty sure he would agree
Pensioners as a whole are wealthy they they have ever been, it doesn't mean all are as otherwise no one would be on pension credit etc ,
the much more pressing problem that needs looking at for the elderly is looking at a fair system of paying for care costs
a cross party long term solution that everyone signs up for for a long time so people know where they are and the goal posts don't change

@mydogisthebest

I think they changed the rule recently so that you have to have a TV license to watch catch up too.

I do think you ought to be able to opt out of the BBC and only pay the license fee if you want to watch it. It is basically an unfair TV tax in its current form.

Or just scrap it all together and allow people who hate adverts to pay for a premium service that doesn have them.

No way! Why should I subsidise for over 75s. My father in law is wealthier and has a better pension than I'll ever have. He can more than afford it. Anyhow in the case of poor pensioners they'll still get it for free!

If it’s means tested I don’t understand the issue?

I’m in my 30s & have been paying my NI since 17 however my state pension will likely keep getting pushed back & I doubt the NHS will be free to me when i’m older. We can’t cope passing the buck & burdening the younger generations (who are shrinking) with more debts.

If it’s means tested I don’t understand the issue?

Becasue they're above that don't you know. They've worked hard their whole lives, gone without so they "deserve" it.

Many women today stay at home with children or work part time and they now get benefits, quite a lot of benefits if my neighbours are anything to go by.

People need to stop looking at people they know & extrapolating that as representing the whole of the UK!!

I believe that there are 1mill fewer stay at home mums than historically.

Quite, fancy, not to mention that everyone will be moving onto UC if they have not already.

FormerlyFrikadela01

Oh that chestnut!