UK: One of the world economic dictatorships may end soon:
Anyone having TV in the UK must pay TV license even if they don't watch it or cannot afford to pay. The TV License is used to run the BBC, pays exorbitant salaries to BBC staff, travelling around the World and broadcast in several foreign languages that the license payers do not understand. Television licensing in the United Kingdom
Non-payment of TV licence fee may be taken out of criminal law
MinistPlans to decriminalise the non-payment of the TV licence fee are being considered by government departments in a move designed to ease pressure on the courts, but which could have major repercussions for the BBC.
A cross-party group of MPs is pushing for a change in the law to make non-payment a civil offence, and the culture secretary, Maria Miller, has signalled she is prepared to put the idea on the table during talks about reviewing the BBC's charter.
"She has made clear that the BBC needs to get its house in order, particularly when it comes to governance and transparency. Having decriminalisation on the table during the negotiations will focus the BBC's minds," said a spokesperson for Miller.
Her office added that Miller's view was shared by the justice secretary, Chris Grayling, who is quoted in the Daily Telegraph on Friday saying Whitehall officials are engaged in "serious work" on the idea.
Offenders at present face a £1,000 fine and a criminal record, as well as the prospect of jail if fines are not paid. More than 180,000 people appeared in court last year after being accused of not paying the £145.50 fee – accounting for over one in 10 of all criminal prosecutions. Of those, 155,000 were convicted and fined.
Tory MP Andrew Bridgen, who is spearheading Commons efforts to change the law, said for some cash-strapped families the current law was "criminalising them for being poor".
However, the BBC has warned that decriminalisation could encourage more people not to pay, leading to further cuts to programming.
A BBC spokesperson said: "Legislation is a matter for the government, however changing the law could lead to higher evasion. Just a 1% increase in evasion would lead to the loss of around £35m, the equivalent of around 10 BBC local radio stations."
In a statement released by her officer, Miller said: "This is an interesting idea but timing is crucial and decriminalisation of the licence fee should be on the table during charter review, not separate to the process."
Her spokesman added: "We know that the justice secretary shares her view. Maria will put decriminalisation of the licence fee on the table during charter review discussions, but to do it before makes no sense."
Grayling told the Telegraph: "The culture secretary and I both agree that this is a really interesting idea – particularly given the pressure on our courts system. Our departments will be doing some serious work on the proposal."
A deal hastily negotiated with the government in 2010 saw the licence fee frozen at £145.50 until 2017 – a 16% cut in real terms. The fee brings in some £3.6bn for the BBC
The BBC director general, Tony Hall, said recently that he wants the licence fee extended to include the estimated 500,000 UK homes where viewers do not have a TV set but watch corporation programmes on demand on the iPlayer.
The move would enable the BBC to start charging the estimated 2% of households – 500,000 – in the UK which only consume on-demand TV content, rather than watching programmes live.
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