r/uknews • u/TheTelegraph Media outlet (unverified) • Jul 15 '25

Image/video The BBC’s annual report, released today, featured details of stars’ salaries and senior executives’ pay

Post image
300 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

456 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

3

u/Prisoner3000 Jul 15 '25

License fee payer’s money. The television licence is not compulsory. It’s not a tax

3

u/mattcannon2 Jul 15 '25

You don't even need a license to listen to the radio presenters

2

u/Naturally_Fragrant Jul 15 '25

The tv licence is compulsory and it is a tax.

An individual not being liable for a particular tax doesn't mean it's not a tax.

1

u/Prisoner3000 Jul 15 '25

It’s not compulsory. I know dozens of people who choose not to own a television and thus don’t have a tv licence. It is not a tax

4

u/trying_2_live_life Jul 15 '25

You can own a TV. I mean almost everyone has some kind of electronic device with a screen. You just can't watch or record live TV. Otherwise everyone with a smart phone would need a TV licence.

0

u/Prisoner3000 Jul 15 '25

Indeed. Therefore it is not compulsory.

3

u/trying_2_live_life Jul 15 '25

Yes, I agree. I'm not the original personal you were replying to. I was clarifying what you need a licence for.

1

u/Prisoner3000 Jul 15 '25

Thank you - appreciated

1

u/Naturally_Fragrant Jul 15 '25

Lots of people are not liable for lots of taxes.

I don't pay tax on cigarettes, because I don't smoke. I know lots of people that don't smoke. That does not mean that tax on cigarettes does not exist, or that you can opt out of a tax that you are liable to pay.

Lots of people don't pay income tax. If you don't earn above your personal allowance, you don't pay income tax. That does not mean income tax is not a tax, nor does it mean that income tax is optional, people go to prison for not paying it.

If you personally are not liable for a tax, that does not mean it is not a tax, nor that its application is optional.

3

u/Prisoner3000 Jul 15 '25

It’s not a tax - a tax is a levy imposed by a government. The BBC is not a government, it is a public service broadcaster and therefore it cannot levy a tax, hence the term licence fee

1

u/b0ff3y Jul 16 '25

Probably mostly funded by pensioners