Bloated BBC Backs Levy on EVERY Household

[Teddy Bear]

It shows that the BBC is well aware that the majority of the public do not value its output and want to see an end to its compulsory funding. Now the slimy Tony Hall proposes that EVERY household in the UK pay a levy for the BBC regardless of their viewing habits. So even if you don't have a TV you will be forced to fund the BBC.

Again he stresses that this is not expansionist, just the BBC being 'open'.

Plan for all households to pay for BBC 'has merit', BBC report finds
A plan for a levy on each and every UK household to fund the BBC, regardless of its viewing habits, has merit, BBC report finds

By Hannah Furness, Arts Correspondent

The BBC is backing a levy which would see every British household pay towards the cost of the corporation, a report has signalled.
A report into the future of a new “Open BBC”, announced by Lord Hall, suggested the BBC would support each home paying towards output, whether or not they own a television.

The proposal, one of numerous options in the government’s green paper about the future of the BBC, would give more income to the BBC and safeguard its future without the complications of a licence fee.

The report, which lays out plans for the next ten years for the BBC, says the levy model “merits consideration” and would “reflect the universal usage of the BBC and the value its services deliver to society as a whole”.

Supporters believe it would secure higher funding and solve the problem of decriminalising the licence fee, which is predicted to lead to a significant drop in income for the BBC in coming years.

Currently around 1.72m households declare they do not have a television, leaving 93.7 per cent of the population choosing to pay. The BBC estimates 97 per cent of the population actually uses its services in some form each week.

A universal levy would require everyone to pay a set sum, whether or not they chose to use BBC television, radio, internet or iPlayer.
The BBC emphasised it is committed to exploring options for future funding, but said it was ultimately “a decision for the government to make”.

Its report states that the modernisation of the licence fee should continue, but that “alternative funding methods, such as subscription, would fundamentally change the nature of the BBC and destabilise the UK’s broadcast ecology”.

A BBC source said: “There are various ways you could modernise the licence fee and we’ve always said this is an interesting idea, but it’s a decision for the Government to make.”

In February, a report by the DCMS Select Committee found a household levy was its "preferred" funding model, saying it was a "fairer way" of making sure those who use radio and BBC online contributed.

The corporation has previously warned it could lose £200m a year once the licence fee is decriminalised. It is now due to take on the responsibility for funding free licences for the over 75s, at an estimated cost of a further £650m.

The report was launched by Lord Hall, the director-general, at the Science Museum as he outlined plans to make the BBC fit for purpose over the next decade.

Outlining a period of “transition”, in which the corporation must work towards a world where people no longer want traditional television or radio, it proposed an array of new services to suit the digital world.

The closure or reduction of current services, Lord Hall added, is now “inevitable”.

But in a speech launching proposals for a new “Open BBC”, he said there are no plans to “lop off” parts of the corporation’s output without careful consideration.

Speaking to industry figures, the director-general said: “The BBC faces a very tough financial challenge. So we will have to manage our resources ever more carefully and prioritise what we believe the BBC should offer.

"We will inevitably have to either close or reduce some services."

Lord Hall has now made a series of proposals intended to make the BBC fit for purpose for the digital age, including prioritising drama, streamed online news and building partnerships with science and art institutions around Britain.

It will also seek to capitalise on iPlayer as a platform, releasing drama series in one burst to allow viewers to “binge-watch” as well as encouraging its commercial rivals to share their own content.

The proposals mean the BBC could take on the likes of Netflix, which allows viewers to watch entire series in one go, and also gives rise to the notion of ITV and Channel 4 being invited to release their programmes for broadcast on a new platform similar to iPlayer.

The corporation will also allow listeners to curate their own music playlists instead of traditional radio, and “streamed” online news instead of a rolling channel. Viewers would also be able to buy and keep their favourite programmes.

Lord Hall said the BBC would have to ride "two horses" over the next decade, serving those who already preferred online-first model and those who still enjoyed traditional broadcasting.

Over time, the report added, the "success stories" of new online innovations "may mean we no longer need existing services including rolling news or BBC Four.

He insisted the plans were not “expansionist”, saying the BBC must now display “excellence but not arrogance”.

“Let me be clear,” he said. “An Open BBC is a million miles away from an expansionist BBC.”

Lord Hall is expected to announce where a next round of savings will be made before Christmas.

[Teddy Bear]

Here's a clear indication that previous suspicion that the present government were nothing more than posturing unethical slime, and were in cahoots with the BBC, knowing full well that they wanted this propaganda Ministry of Thought for their own purposes IS TRUE.

Will new TV licence fee be linked to the value of your house? Minister suggests levy could be paid along with council tax

• TV licence fee could be linked to value of person's house under new plans
• Culture Secretary John Whittingdale said levy may be paid with council tax
• At the moment everyone pays the same for TV licence - £145.50 a year
• But new proposal would see rich expected to contribute more than poor

By Daniel Martin, Chief Political Correspondent For The Daily Mail

The TV licence fee could be linked to the value of a person’s house under plans being considered by ministers.

Culture Secretary John Whittingdale suggested the levy could be paid on the same bill as council tax as part of a major reform of the way the public funds the BBC.

At the moment, everyone pays the same amount for their TV licence – £145.50 a year, but he said a degree of ‘progressivity’ could be introduced – meaning the rich would be expected to contribute more than the poor.

Officials said one way this could be achieved would be by linking the amount someone pays to the band of council tax they pay – but stressed that no decisions had been made.

Council tax is determined by the value of a person’s home, with people in a Band F home paying far more towards their local authority than someone in a Band C house.

The BBC came out in support of a household levy earlier this year, but Mr Whittingdale told the Commons’ culture select committee that no decision had been made ahead of legislation expected next year.

He said such a system could help tackle the issue of non-payment, as well as introducing a progressive element absent from the flat-rate licence fee.

Licence fee evasion is a criminal offence, but the Government is considering decriminalisation. The BBC fears this would lead to fewer people paying.

A household levy would help assuage BBC concerns about non-payment, Mr Whittingdale said.

‘There are a number of different options – the simplest is instead of your having to pay it separately through the TV licensing authority, you could pay it as same time as another bill like the council tax bill, which would make it easier and would also address part of the concern about evasion.

‘That is a possibility but we have not reached any decision about these things. The suggestion that the method of collection is linked to the issue of whether or not we decide to decriminalise, I would not dispute.’

He said a household levy scheme, linked to council tax, could also be more progressive.

‘It wouldn’t be less regressive if you decided to retain a flat-rate single charge for every household, which is what the TV licence fee is.

‘If you linked it to council tax you could adopt the same sort of progressivity which exists within in the council tax system – that is one option. We haven’t reached a decision about any of these things.’

Last night the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said Mr Whittingdale had been talking ‘purely theoretically’. ‘He gave the example of a link to council tax, which is what a progressive funding model could look like,’ a spokesman said.

Asked whether this would mean people paying higher amounts towards the BBC if they were in a higher council tax band, he said: ‘Theoretically. That’s the kind of approach that a progressive funding model would seek to do.’