Are commercials so bad? (TV Licence)

Member Name: alistair

Product:	TV Licence
Date:	31/07/00 (34 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Keeps the Beeb independent

Disadvantages: An indescriminate form of tax

Your TV licence allows a base level income for the BBC who are supposed to offer an unbiased service unswayes by the commercial and advertising pressures of other channels. What needs to be addressed is whether this fee which is more of a television ownership tax is beneficial to the UK population, or whether some other form of revenue is possible.
Other options for base level revenue include :
With the coming of pay TV a mechanism should exist which allows revenue to be earned depending on the quality of the programming.
Allowing advertising as per other channels.
With the latter there is a danger of the BBC loosing its claim to an independent service. How much this is worth remains to be tested.
What I do believe however is that the existing system is another form of tax. A majority of people own a television, those who rarely watch it pay as much for the privelege as those who spend days glued to the set.

Summary: