Best Of

Per Telegraph:
"Benefit claimants could receive free television licences under sweeping BBC reforms being considered by Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary."
So the actual license payer will not just be stumping up for Trump's amour propre

Why not just give everyone a free TV licence?

That's the 'fund from general taxation' option. Then like schools, hospitals etc it's free at the point of delivery.

The BBC themselves want a digital tax. On ISPs.

Because that way the tax will be hidden from the public. Whose bills for internet connections will go up, of course.

Then all the BBC has to do is ask for more free money every year.

That sounds ok. But I think I prefer general taxation. Or do I? Not sure. So long as we don't lose the BBC. I value it highly.

Per Telegraph:
"Benefit claimants could receive free television licences under sweeping BBC reforms being considered by Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary."
So the actual license payer will not just be stumping up for Trump's amour propre

Why not just give everyone a free TV licence?

That's the 'fund from general taxation' option. Then like schools, hospitals etc it's free at the point of delivery.

Latest logic in PPE land:

1. Everyone under 25, just about, is a NEET - a whole generation does nothing. Life on benefits until they make state pension if they do thanks to all the pizza consumption.

2. No one under 25 watches TV

3. Let's give TV licence for free to people on benefits.

Telegraph though. They don't report they create.

Shame about the Telegraph. Used to be reliable if you could stomach the politics. Now it's about as reliable as The Star, and a lot less fun.

There were once 3 newspapers you could rely on. The Times, The Telegraph and The Guardian. Their biases were obvious and you could accommodate them because the journalism behind them was top notch. Sadly the Telegraph surrendered that quality long ago.

Per Telegraph:
"Benefit claimants could receive free television licences under sweeping BBC reforms being considered by Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary."
So the actual license payer will not just be stumping up for Trump's amour propre

Why not just give everyone a free TV licence?

That's the 'fund from general taxation' option. Then like schools, hospitals etc it's free at the point of delivery.

Latest logic in PPE land:

1. Everyone under 25, just about, is a NEET - a whole generation does nothing. Life on benefits until they make state pension if they do thanks to all the pizza consumption.

2. No one under 25 watches TV

3. Let's give TV licence for free to people on benefits.

Telegraph though. They don't report they create.

Shame about the Telegraph. Used to be reliable if you could stomach the politics. Now it's about as reliable as The Star, and a lot less fun.

There were once 3 newspapers you could rely on. The Times, The Telegraph and The Guardian. Their biases were obvious and you could accommodate them because the journalism behind them was top notch. Sadly the Telegraph surrendered that quality long ago.

I am cautiously optimistic about the output from the Observer. At the time it was sold by The Guardian I thought it was the death of it, but I now begin to wonder if the Observer will survive the Guardian.

Per Telegraph:
"Benefit claimants could receive free television licences under sweeping BBC reforms being considered by Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary."
So the actual license payer will not just be stumping up for Trump's amour propre

Why not just give everyone a free TV licence?

That's the 'fund from general taxation' option. Then like schools, hospitals etc it's free at the point of delivery.

The BBC themselves want a digital tax. On ISPs.

Because that way the tax will be hidden from the public. Whose bills for internet connections will go up, of course.

Then all the BBC has to do is ask for more free money every year.

That sounds ok. But I think I prefer general taxation. Or do I? Not sure. So long as we don't lose the BBC. I value it highly.

The basic problem is - why a digital tax?

That’s a tax on every business or person online.

Because subscription rates are dropping along with use rates.

But why tax people online, rather than an extra tax on retired accountants?

The latter would cause a lesser reduction in economic activity.

The more you spread the cost the easier it is to pretend that it isn’t actually that big and that we’re all funding it and watching together. They seem to believe that if they wish hard enough and wait long enough all of their opponents will somehow just drop dead and that they won’t have to actually think about what people want to watch rather than what they want to make.

Per Telegraph:
"Benefit claimants could receive free television licences under sweeping BBC reforms being considered by Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary."
So the actual license payer will not just be stumping up for Trump's amour propre

Why not just give everyone a free TV licence?

I think if you charge everyone earning over £100k about £2,000 for a TV licence then that would allow you to exempt everyone else.

Surprised that none of the Chancellors for the last 20 years have done that.

Wouldn't those earning over that level just opt out of having a licence? I know I would. BBC content isn't worth very much to me, certainly not £2k per year.

Per Telegraph:
"Benefit claimants could receive free television licences under sweeping BBC reforms being considered by Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary."
So the actual license payer will not just be stumping up for Trump's amour propre

Why not just give everyone a free TV licence?

That's the 'fund from general taxation' option. Then like schools, hospitals etc it's free at the point of delivery.

The BBC themselves want a digital tax. On ISPs.

Because that way the tax will be hidden from the public. Whose bills for internet connections will go up, of course.

Then all the BBC has to do is ask for more free money every year.

That sounds ok. But I think I prefer general taxation. Or do I? Not sure. So long as we don't lose the BBC. I value it highly.

The basic problem is - why a digital tax?

That’s a tax on every business or person online.

Because subscription rates are dropping along with use rates.

But why tax people online, rather than an extra tax on retired accountants?

The latter would cause a lesser reduction in economic activity.

The more you spread the cost the easier it is to pretend that it isn’t actually that big and that we’re all funding it and watching together. They seem to believe that if they wish hard enough and wait long enough all of their opponents will somehow just drop dead and that they won’t have to actually think about what people want to watch rather than what they want to make.

Can we not impose a tax on Americans, and use that to pay for the BBC? If every American resident paid just $2/month, that would more than cover the BBC's entire annual budget.

Per Telegraph:
"Benefit claimants could receive free television licences under sweeping BBC reforms being considered by Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary."
So the actual license payer will not just be stumping up for Trump's amour propre

Why not just give everyone a free TV licence?

That's the 'fund from general taxation' option. Then like schools, hospitals etc it's free at the point of delivery.

Latest logic in PPE land:

1. Everyone under 25, just about, is a NEET - a whole generation does nothing. Life on benefits until they make state pension if they do thanks to all the pizza consumption.

2. No one under 25 watches TV

3. Let's give TV licence for free to people on benefits.

Telegraph though. They don't report they create.

Shame about the Telegraph. Used to be reliable if you could stomach the politics. Now it's about as reliable as The Star, and a lot less fun.

Per Telegraph:
"Benefit claimants could receive free television licences under sweeping BBC reforms being considered by Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary."
So the actual license payer will not just be stumping up for Trump's amour propre

Why not just give everyone a free TV licence?

That's the 'fund from general taxation' option. Then like schools, hospitals etc it's free at the point of delivery.

Latest logic in PPE land:

1. Everyone under 25, just about, is a NEET - a whole generation does nothing. Life on benefits until they make state pension if they do thanks to all the pizza consumption.

2. No one under 25 watches TV

3. Let's give TV licence for free to people on benefits.

Telegraph though. They don't report they create.