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MichiganRed · 18-03-2005, 15:27

Thanks again, Less.

Since this has no impact on me, I am somewhat hesitant in voicing an opinion on the matter. However, with your kind indulgence, I would have to say this is, from the individual taxpayer standpoint, even more grievous than the state of Michigan "Use Tax" (whereby we must pay state sales tax on purchases made outside the physical boundaries of the state) and on par with the "Religious" tax enforced in Germany.

Surely the person who dreamed up this scheme has been enshrined in whatever Pantheon of greatness bureaucratic minds use to celebrate themselves. The Royal Charter states the BBC is required "...to provide sound and television programmes of information, education and entertainment funded by advertisements, subscription, sponsorship, pay-per-view system, or any other means of finance..." and according to the BBC Freedom of Information report "About TV Licensing", just under 24 million of these licenses were in use at the end of 2003. The report doesn't seem to break down the numbers by type of license (i.e. color, black and white) but it does state that "More than 3 million customers aged 75 or over benefited from free licenses and over 30,000 customers received a 50% blind concession on their license fee." Even if the free licenses are deducted from the aforementioned 24 million, that is still a rather tidy sum of cash.

It must be nice to be able to generate new revenue streams at a whim and require others to comply. I wonder what would happen if I were to try something like that with my employers.

18-03-2005, 15:27	#20
MichiganRed Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Across the big water Posts: 510 Liked: 0 times Rep Power: 47	Re: Licence For Your Pc?? Thanks again, Less. Since this has no impact on me, I am somewhat hesitant in voicing an opinion on the matter. However, with your kind indulgence, I would have to say this is, from the individual taxpayer standpoint, even more grievous than the state of Michigan "Use Tax" (whereby we must pay state sales tax on purchases made outside the physical boundaries of the state) and on par with the "Religious" tax enforced in Germany. Surely the person who dreamed up this scheme has been enshrined in whatever Pantheon of greatness bureaucratic minds use to celebrate themselves. The Royal Charter states the BBC is required "...to provide sound and television programmes of information, education and entertainment funded by advertisements, subscription, sponsorship, pay-per-view system, or any other means of finance..." and according to the BBC Freedom of Information report "About TV Licensing", just under 24 million of these licenses were in use at the end of 2003. The report doesn't seem to break down the numbers by type of license (i.e. color, black and white) but it does state that "More than 3 million customers aged 75 or over benefited from free licenses and over 30,000 customers received a 50% blind concession on their license fee." Even if the free licenses are deducted from the aforementioned 24 million, that is still a rather tidy sum of cash. It must be nice to be able to generate new revenue streams at a whim and require others to comply. I wonder what would happen if I were to try something like that with my employers.