Or so the BBC says anyway, so take that with a massive pinch of salt.
According to the BBC between 6 and 7 percent of households evaded the TV licence fee last year.
With the annual cost of a TV licence currently standing at £145.50 (although set to rise in line with inflation from next year) the BBC considers that it has lost up to £283m as a result of these ne'er-do-goods, most of whom do not legally require a TV licence.
As a result of the TV licence fee being frozen for the past six years, the BBC has had to do some serious economising - or start to live within its means, as most right-minded people would say. The Corporation is seeking to make £800m in savings by 2021-22 and, to that end, it has already swung the axe towards several services, including "yoof" channel BBC Three.
A TV Licensing spokesman said: "Between April 2015 and March 2016 we caught almost 300,000 people watching TV without a licence.
"Evasion costs the BBC between £243million to £283million in lost income, so it's important we ensure everyone is aware of licensing requirements."
That £283m could no doubt be put to much better use by the BBC, such as:
- Paying adequate compensation to the victims of sexual abuse on BBC premises.
- Trying to digitally-archive the BBC's content and then giving up half way.
- Moving whole departments from London to Salford and then back again.
- Rehiring staff dismissed from permanent contracts on more expensive temporary ones.
- Sending twice as many staff to cover a news story as is necessary, because communication within the department is that bad.
You get the idea.
The same jobsworth went on to parrot one of TV Licensing's favourite lies - that it only ever prosecutes in the public interest. It should try telling that to the likes of Marcus Greenhouse and the thousands of single mums, disabled and unemployed people wheeled through the courts for allegedly evading the fee every single week.
"Prosecutions only proceed if they meet the evidential test" - who does this wise guy think he's trying to kid?!
With the BBC displaying utter contempt towards the paying public, there never has been a better time to ditch the TV licence altogether. Even with the imminent closure of the so-called iPlayer loophole, there are many ways to enjoy your favourite programmes without the legal need for a TV licence - Amazon Prime and Netflix immediately spring to mind.
If you've found this article useful please consider using our Amazon link for your shopping or downloading our free ebook.
3 comments:
"the thousands of single mums, disabled and unemployed people wheeled through the courts for evading the fee every single week."
Should that not be Allegedly evading the fee?
Quite right, so it should.
I'll tweak that.
i saved £145.50 this year again and i am thinking of using the money to take up violin lessons :D
Post a Comment