TV Licence: should it be scrapped? (Should the TV licence be scrapped?)

Member Name: stephbond89

Product:	Should the TV licence be scrapped?
Date:	22/09/09 (51 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Funds the BBC.

Disadvantages: Expensive, unfair.

When I first moved into a house on my own (away from my parents), the humble TV licence was something which I hadn't really thought about, I knew that every household had to have one, and that it paid the BBC and a little of it went to other channels (ITV, Channel 4), but that it was mainly for the BBC's funding as ITV and Channel 4 were funded by advertisments during programmes.

I always thought a TV licence was coppers a month, around £5 a month and £60 a year, so was actually a little shocked when I got my TV licence and it was £150, which could be split over monthly payments, quarterly payments, half yearly payments or a one off yearly payment.

If you have a black and white TV, you pay less than for a colour TV but I am not so sure what this is. If your over 75, or live with an over 75, your licence is free.

In my house, I pay £60 a month for my Sky subscription (plus Broadband and Phone), yet I still find myself paying £36.89 every 4 months for my TV licence, this might not sound like much money to alot of people, but infact it is money for us which could be spent on more important things like food and rent. I really don't think it's fair for people who have these TV subscriptions, whether it be Sky, Virgin, BT or any other TV packages you can get, that we also have to pay extra for a license as well. And when I think that the only programmes on the BBC which I watch are actually Eastenders, Top Gear and Casualty (what's that around 5 hours a week?) and then I watch Coronation street on ITV, and Hollyoaks on channel 4, the rest of the TV I watch is on Sky1 and other Sky channels. So why should I pay the same amount (infact more when you take in my Sky package), as someone who watches BBC1 all day everyday (and there are some people out there who do...).

Of course, if you say "oh you watch BBC for so many hours a week" it would be extremelly difficult to find out who should pay what in their licences, so the easiest thing for me, would be to well get rid of it!!! If the BBC need money, then why do they have to charge people who might not even watch their shows, just because they can. Of course they need to get their money from somewhere, but they could always get rid of their terrible channels which they have around 100 of on freeview, as well as BBC2, the only decent programme which plays on BBC2 is Top Gear, I don't think I ever watch anything else which plays on there, so why is it really needed??? BBC3, is a re-run channel, I swear I could watch the same programme 4 times in the one night, every single night of the week, and BBC4, I have never watched that channel in my life!

So they could start by scrapping those channels, then get rid of some of the rubbish programmes which they put out there! The amount of news reports which play in a day are pathetic. And as I said earlier, maybe take ITVs appraoch and use advertisments to fund them. And maybe still have the TV licence, but lower the price of it, make it much more affordable for everybody, maybe that way not so many people would avoid paying it! (Then again this would mean they stopped getting their £1000 fines when they found people who didn't have a licence!)

The TV licence is over priced, and unfair. It goes up every year, and means that it's one more outgoing for people who might not be able to afford it.

Summary: Maybe they should lower the proce and use adverts!!!