Monday 14 September 2009

THREATENING LETTERS!

Ok so I've had another threatening letter today, calling me a criminal, saying that a 'TEAM' of enforcement officers are going to come round my house, etc etc.... Check out the video and make your own mind up..




One part of the letter I didn't touch on in the video is where the letter says that, if they cannot gain access to my property then they may apply for a SEARCH WARRANT off the courts.....
So whats gona happen if they come to your home every year, which they have been known to do, to ask if they can come in? What if you say no? Are you going to be subject to them applying for a warrent year after year? Could they essentially have the right to come into your home, your private place of residence, year after year, just because you don't own a tv?
So to stop these strangers coming in your home and searching it every year, do you have to buy a £143 tv license?...... THIS SEEMS VERY WRONG TO ME!

So anyway... This is my latest encounter with the tv licencing. Lets wait and see what happens next eh... Lets see what methods they use after this " FINAL NOTIFICATION ".. Haha.

Wednesday 2 September 2009

Licence dodging '' On The Rise''

Latest news says that the amount of people evading their tv licence fees, is rising. The recession has seen the number of TV licence evaders across the UK shoot up by 5,000 during the first half of 2009 compared to the same period last year, a study reveals. Although latest figures by TV Licensing showed that 95% of properties were still licensed, almost 214,000 people have been watching TV without a valid licence, with an average evasion rate of over 5%.

5% doesn't seem enough to me. This number should be more like 100%.
Everybody would be better off getting rid of their TV, and getting the internet instead. Its about the same price as a TV licence, but you get loads more for your money. You can get any information you want. Right at your fingertips. Its amazing. And theres so many free sites out there now, like youtube or metacafe, that you will almost never be stuck with nothing for entertainment.

And it doesn't stop there, oh no. You can also get BBC iplayer for free. Yes thats right, you can get everything that has been on any BBC channel in the last month, for free. Whether its been on TV or on the radio, it doesn't matter!

So while people get this for free on the internet, people with TV's have to pay for a licence... WHAT A RIPOFF!!


MORE REASONS TO STOP PAYING:

In September 2008, the BBC's governing body, the BBC Trust, launched a review of TV Licensing's methods, following complaints about "heavy-handed" and "intimidating" tactics, and during December 2008, it was reported by the press that the chairman of the all-party Commons Culture, Media and Sport committee had accused TV Licensing of behaving "like the Gestapo", employing "tactics that are outrageous", saying: "The tactics used by TV Licensing in their letters are intimidatory and cause genuine distress. Their records are not always correct, but they write letters that assume members of the public are criminals". Which come to think of if that is exactly what they have been doing to me for the past 3 months, even though I DON'T watch TV.

In 2004, the Institute for Public Policy Research criticised the TV licence fee for its regressive impact, pointing out that it represents a much higher proportion of income for low-income households, that evaders are most likely to be single parents, lone tenants, pensioners and the economically inactive, and that the difficulties they have in paying the licence fee are compounded by the penalties enforced for non-payment.
Also in 2004, the BBC reported that "Almost 70% of people in the UK want changes to the way the BBC is funded", following an ICM poll for their current affairs programme Panorama, which showed that 31% were in favour of the existing licence fee system, 36% said the BBC should be paid for by a subscription, and 31% wanted advertising to pay for the programmes.

Four years later, in August 2008, the Guardian newspaper reported that "The BBC is facing an uphill battle to maintain support for the licence fee", stating that according to an Ipsos MORI poll the newspaper had commissioned, 41% agreed that the licence fee is an "appropriate funding mechanism" and 37% disagreed; but when asked whether the licence fee is "good value for money", 47% disagreed, with more than half of them disagreeing strongly. The poll also showed that there is no longer a majority believing that the licence fee assured them of distinctive programming not available elsewhere ― which, the newspaper said, had long been one of the key arguments for its existence: 41% of the population disagreed with only 30% agreeing. The poll also showed that opinion was split by a growing north-south and socio-economic divide.

Me myself I don't believe that people should pay a licence fee.... 142.50 a year is disgusting!

If 95% of homes currently have a licence, and 214.000 don't, then that is 4 million 280 thousand households that do have a licence.... So what is 4,280,000 x £142.50? ...........

£609,900,000. Thats how much. Over 6 BILLION English pounds. The BBC also use this money to fund two other channels that are only available on digital, which alot of licence holders do not have access to, which in its-self seems like robbery to me.

So after all this information I hope a few people will be willing to join in the cause, as the more people that stop paying, the less of a grip the TV licencing will have on people.
Ya never know... we might actually get free TV one day.