TV Licence Super Thread

Basher · 27 Feb 2021 at 11:06

wingman said:
You do, but you specifically said cars that you don't own/have.

I didn't mention anything about the cars that you own but choose to not pay VED for.

It's not a trust thing either, if you plan to use the car on the road and it's not had it's duty paid you'll be fined.

Indeed. The car example doesn’t really work.

robj20 · 27 Feb 2021 at 11:17

Basher said:
Indeed. The car example doesn’t really work.

It does.
It's a service/payment that requires you to specifically be honest about and tell them your requiring it.
Don't have a car don't pay it, same as don't watch TV don't pay it.
DVLA don't send me a letter constantly asking if I have any cars that need taxing.

Basher · 27 Feb 2021 at 11:41

robj20 said:
It does.
It's a service/payment that requires you to specifically be honest about and tell them your requiring it.
Don't have a car don't pay it, same as don't watch TV don't pay it.
DVLA don't send me a letter constantly asking if I have any cars that need taxing.

They know you require it when you register the transfer (or buy a new car). DVLA will then hassle you until you pay.

The difference is that registration, so perhaps we should make it mandatory to register the purchase of a TV in stores?

It'd be also interesting to see the stats of how many are avoiding paying the TV License illegally vs avoiding paying DVLA.

robj20 · 27 Feb 2021 at 11:56

Basher said:
They know you require it when you register the transfer (or buy a new car). DVLA will then hassle you until you pay.

The difference is that registration, so perhaps we should make it mandatory to register the purchase of a TV in stores?

It'd be also interesting to see the stats of how many are avoiding paying the TV License illegally vs avoiding paying DVLA.

Buying a TV doesn't mean you need a license and the BBC have no right to collect the details of people buying a TV.

Basher · 27 Feb 2021 at 11:59

robj20 said:
Buying a TV doesn't mean you need a license and the BBC have no right to collect the details of people buying a TV.

So what’s the suggestion? With cars, you’re also responsible for telling the DVLA that you no longer own the vehicle. Is the issue that apparently TV Licensing keep chasing anyway, or something else?

Details aside, I do agree that the TVL should be a subscription, though. Of course that would destroy the BBC but no huge loss there.

Dirk Diggler · 27 Feb 2021 at 13:51

robj20 said:
It does.
It's a service/payment that requires you to specifically be honest about and tell them your requiring it.
Don't have a car don't pay it, same as don't watch TV don't pay it.
DVLA don't send me a letter constantly asking if I have any cars that need taxing.

Try using that car without paying the required tax and see how it works out for you. To my knowledge, the BBC don't point ANPR cameras at you when you're watching the TV and the police don't flash their headlights through your living room window if they think your watching TV without a licence and decide to interrupt your viewing to question you about whether it's a live broadcast you're watching.

Nasher · 27 Feb 2021 at 14:18

You only need to tax a car if you use it on public roads. You can buy one and never tax or insure it if you only use it on private land or a track. You don't have to tell the DVLA every year.

Dirk Diggler · 27 Feb 2021 at 14:20

Nasher said:
You only need to tax a car if you use it on public roads. You can buy one and never tax or insure it if you only use it on private land or a track. You don't have to tell the DVLA every year.

You have to complete a SORN declaration.

ron3003 · 27 Feb 2021 at 14:35

Dirk Diggler said:
You have to complete a SORN declaration.

Once, then they never bother you again. But then with TV licensing..........

Dirk Diggler · 27 Feb 2021 at 14:43

ron3003 said:
Once, then they never bother you again. But then with TV licensing..........

Both TV licensing and vehicle licensing are enforced by the respective administrative authorities with punitive measures available for non compliance. Let's not pretend that vehicle licensing differs in that it isn't enforced, it definitely is enforced with the full weight of the law behind it.

Longbow · 27 Feb 2021 at 18:10

Dirk Diggler said:
Both TV licensing and vehicle licensing are enforced by the respective administrative authorities with punitive measures available for non compliance. Let's not pretend that vehicle licensing differs in that it isn't enforced, it definitely is enforced with the full weight of the law behind it.

"Non-compliance"...? TV licensing send out letters every month to homes without a licence, whether they need one or not, they don't know.

If you tell them you don't need one, they'll stop sending letters, but only for 2 years, then it starts again.

As others have pointed out, DVLA don't send letters every month on the off chance that you are driving a car on the road that they don't know about.

Dirk Diggler · 27 Feb 2021 at 21:03

Longbow said:
"Non-compliance"...? TV licensing send out letters every month to homes without a licence, weather they need one or not, they don't know.

If you tell them you don't need one, they'll stop sending letters, but only for 2 years, then it starts again.

As others have pointed out, DVLA don't send letters every month on the off chance that you are driving a car on the road that they don't know about.

You've just said that if you tell them you don't need a TV licence then they'll not contact you again for a couple of years. Why would they be sending you letters every month?

Longbow · 27 Feb 2021 at 21:20

That's what happens when you don't repeatedly tell them every 23 months.

As ron3003 said, it's not a case of telling them no, they'll keep coming back.

Dirk Diggler · 27 Feb 2021 at 21:33

Longbow said:
That's what happens when you don't repeatedly tell them every 23 months.

As ron3003 said, it's not a case of telling them no, they'll keep coming back.

If I didn't need a TV licence then I wouldn't be fussed if they asked me to confirm on a 2 yearly interval. I could see the point if you declared you didn't need one and they continued to pursue it on a regular monthly basis.

Surely that's not what people are labelling as harassment?

GIBURROWS · 27 Feb 2021 at 21:35

Dirk Diggler said:
If I didn't need a TV licence then I wouldn't be fussed if they asked me to confirm on a 2 yearly interval. I could see the point if you declared you didn't need one and they continued to pursue it on a regular monthly basis.

Surely that's not what people are labelling as harassment?

I'd say most people are just annoyed that they have to tell a private company they don't need their services

banja · 28 Feb 2021 at 01:26

I have a question I can't find the answer to.

It's clear I can take my netbook to my brother's place, plug in the power and watch iplayer as he has a licence and I don't. But can I DL iplayer content there and watch it later, off line, back home? Technically by my reading as long as I don't plug the power in at my place I'm still covered by his licence. I think....

LuckyBenski · 28 Feb 2021 at 01:29

banja said:
I have a question I can't find the answer to.

It's clear I can take my netbook to my brother's place, plug in the power and watch iplayer as he has a licence and I don't. But can I DL iplayer content there and watch it later, off line, back home? Technically by my reading as long as I don't plug the power in at my place I'm still covered by his licence. I think....

This is one of those spirit vs word of the law things.

banja · 28 Feb 2021 at 01:34

LuckyBenski said:
This is one of those spirit vs word of the law things.

Possiby but I'm not sure - I think it could be totally above board. The licence (in this case) is tied to the property, not an individual. If my brother chooses to watch bbc content away from home (on any device) he is covered as long as he isn't plugged in.

Reality|Bites · 28 Feb 2021 at 01:37

There is no signed contract between us and the BBC, it's just what we have been brought up with and just go along with is it not? Imagine the people that move here from say America and being told they have to pay it along with there cable TV bill. but I suppose that a bit like signing up for BUPA and still paying the same amount of national insurance from your wage packet?

I've only just cancelled my TV licence as I've not even had the TV on in over a year and have cancelled the basic tv package I get from Virgin, only phone and internet now.

Longbow · 2 Mar 2021 at 11:40

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9315787/TV-licence-scrapped-Netflix-style-subscription.html

TV licence could be scrapped for Netflix-style subscription when all viewers have access to superfast broadband, media minister says

Something that's been said here a lot.

Also...

Figures released under Freedom of Information rules show that between the start of March 2020 and the end of December 2020, TV Licensing sent 26,499,693 letters to ‘unlicensed properties’.

So they must be sending around 31.8 million threatening letters a year.