TV tax??

Hi.  I've been reading the general information on the site, and when I was reading about banks and bank accounts, it mentioned the TV tax and the dire warning not to miss paying that, or else face seemingly dire consequences....

What is this tax?  Who is it payable to, and how much is it?

All the info you need is right here: http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/

thank you Caitlinn!!   

it mentioned the TV tax and the dire warning not to miss paying that, or else face seemingly dire consequences....

Dire consequences: they make you watch BBC1!

Or worse yet, BBC3 or BBC4!   

*is snickering over my newest "pay or face the consequences" letter from the licensing company*

We don't even own a tv, and yet they continue to send letter after letter threatening that we'll be getting a visit from them.  If they provided a number to call to tell them we don't have a tv, I'd have no problem doing it, but they all come across as (trying to be) very intimidating and bullying.  It's amusing. 

I rather like the digital channels - BBC3 for "Little Britain" and BBC4 for "Storyville". There's a distinct lack of home-decorating shows, so I know it's safe to click them on.

I'm still in the States and I love BBC America.  Always loved "Absolutely Fabulous."  I just discovered "The Kumars at No. 42," and I enjoy "Trading Spaces," and I'm a longtime fan of "Are You Being Served?"  And of course, nothing tops Monty Python or  "Fawlty Towers..." too bad they only made 13 episodes of that show!

*is snickering over my newest "pay or face the consequences" letter from the licensing company*

We don't even own a tv, and yet they continue to send letter after letter threatening that we'll be getting a visit from them. If they provided a number to call to tell them we don't have a tv, I'd have no problem doing it, but they all come across as (trying to be) very intimidating and bullying. It's amusing.

Tell me about it! Now, I'm going to admit something very serious here: We didn't pay our tv license until we moved into our house now. We lived in flats, so there was no way of proving we had a tv as they couldn't come right up to our door.

Anyways.... as soon as we moved to our house (which has the tv almost right next to the door) we were paid a little visit. Jon totally freaked out. He slammed the door in the poor guy's face and paid the license the next day.

It's cool though, we now have SKY tv. 

But yeah, those letters were a trip. 'Pay now or die!'.

And I have to say, I really object to having to pay for freaking BBC. It's all crap. (as is Channel 4, 5 and ITV).

when I temped for an agency -- they sent me to a job where I set up flats for travelling/visiting engineers -- the tv tax "police" are VERY REAL and they WILL track somebody down to open the doors to PROVE you don't have a tv on the premisis.  One of the guys brought me a notice (it was the 4th one he'd received) and it stated that they would visit the flat -- well this guy HAD A TV!!!!  I immediately got online and sorted out the TV License for him!!!!

I think of all the "trouble " I went to in order to make a "Welcome Wagon" folder for them -- which had all the details for TV license -- blah blah blah....oooooo NELLY! 

I for one am glad we have Sky!  I never watch the "TERESTRIAL" stations -- and if you ask me -- it's because they're all gaggalicious!

Just out of curiosity, is there not a lot of commercial advertising on TV there?  Is that why there's a tax?  TV without a lot of commercials...what a nice thought...

I believe the majority, if not all, of the TV license fee goes to support the BBC.  The BBC is like a super-duper version of PBS, but with more channels under the BBC umbrella.  BBC channels do not show commercial advertisements.

Is that a yearly fee?? 121 pounds a year?
To watch TV??

LOL....oh well, now I know to bring some extra License money with me..

Maybe I'm in the minorty, but I love BBC terrestrial channels! Don't mind paying for them at all.
It is nice to have Sky, but we'd live without it.

What I object to is having to pay the licence, whether or not I watch any BBC programmes.