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mistermasan
Joined: 20 Sep 2007 Location: 10+ yrs on Dave's ESL cafe
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Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 2:55 pm Post subject: ? for Brits: What is a TV license? |
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what is a "TV license" as used in Britian? is it a tax to own a TV? yearly or a one time deal at purchase?
not being snide, just have heard reference to such. |
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kalak
Joined: 06 Mar 2007 Location: dublin
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Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 3:38 pm Post subject: |
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its a tax you pay on a yearly basis, it basically pays for the BBC |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 4:11 pm Post subject: |
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I believe because the BBC channels are commercial free (or nearly so) they levy a tax. Based on Monty Python and The Young Ones, I think what they do is have a map of people who have paid their TV license. Then they drive a van with antennas ("bleedin' aerials") that can figure out if there's an operating TV in the flat that hasn't paid the tax. Then they kick down the door and put the person in the comfy chair and... |
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Boodleheimer

Joined: 10 Mar 2006 Location: working undercover for the Man
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Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 4:49 pm Post subject: |
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kalak wrote: |
its a tax you pay on a yearly basis, it basically pays for the BBC |
and i believe it's per TV |
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ED209
Joined: 17 Oct 2006
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Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 4:57 pm Post subject: |
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Well yes MM2 people have been imprisoned in the past for not paying their TV licenses. Although I have not heard of this happening recently. It's current;y around 135 quid a year (45 for b/w). When I was at uni I didn't pay so received some threatening letters and just went down the post office and paid it. Sometimes they just send out letters to homes that appear on their Big British Castle computer database. Even if you don't watch the BBC you still need the licence. Increasingly the BBC is making money outside of the licence from it multimedia wing, exporting programs and publishing. |
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ED209
Joined: 17 Oct 2006
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Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 4:59 pm Post subject: |
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KWhitehead wrote: |
kalak wrote: |
its a tax you pay on a yearly basis, it basically pays for the BBC |
and i believe it's per TV |
In the UK it's per household. You can have as many TV as you want. |
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Boodleheimer

Joined: 10 Mar 2006 Location: working undercover for the Man
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Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 5:19 pm Post subject: |
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my mistake! it's per tv if each tenant has a separate tenant's agreement, i think... |
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BS.Dos.

Joined: 29 Mar 2007
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Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 6:09 pm Post subject: |
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The BBC's income basically.
They're the only TV channel in the world who don't show TV advertisments. |
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Dome Vans Guest
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Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 6:31 pm Post subject: |
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BS.Dos. wrote: |
The BBC's income basically.
They're the only TV channel in the world who don't show TV advertisments. |
Not having Ads is ace.
"We'll be back after this s h o r t break...."
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BS.Dos.

Joined: 29 Mar 2007
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Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 8:20 pm Post subject: |
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The BBC is ace.
Missing 5Live.
Radio 4 make some excellent programs many of which you can download. I've always wanted to try and use a few in the classroom, but I'm not quite sure the Korean classrooms are ready for that just yet.
Don't miss 'raving' but I do miss the parties in the summer and hanging out and listening to cool music in some of my old nocturnal haunts. |
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pugwall
Joined: 22 Oct 2006
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Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 8:33 pm Post subject: |
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Radio 1 Xtra rules the roost. Benji B's Deviation is maybe the best radio show ever. I need it for hangovers. |
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ED209
Joined: 17 Oct 2006
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Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 12:02 am Post subject: |
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BS.Dos. wrote: |
The BBC's income basically.
They're the only TV channel in the world who don't show TV advertisments. |
AFN?
I also think some Scandinavian countries have licensing similar to the BBC. |
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Dome Vans Guest
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Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 12:31 am Post subject: |
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ED209 wrote: |
BS.Dos. wrote: |
The BBC's income basically.
They're the only TV channel in the world who don't show TV advertisments. |
AFN?
I also think some Scandinavian countries have licensing similar to the BBC. |
Have you ever seen Swedish television? SVT1, SVT2. It's terrible. Most of the time I doesn't actually start until 2pm. Or you'll have a program on for 30 mins in the morning then nothing until 4 pm, and even then it's probably a repeat. Or six hours of Alpine Ski racing. Awful.
TV4 their equivalent of ITV had some good stuff. "Parlamentet" being my favourite, like Have I got news for you but in Swedish.
Friday night 9pm expect some kind of debate. Living there taught me to never have the sound on the tv, I always just played music over the top.
They do have a licence fee but it is very rarely enforced, mainly because people live in apartments so it's difficult to single people out. Also very unSwedish to try and do that. |
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Are they the lemmings

Joined: 15 Feb 2007 Location: Not here anymore. JongnoGuru was the only thing that kept me here.
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Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 7:17 am Post subject: |
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BS.Dos. wrote: |
The BBC's [...] the only TV channel in the world who don't show TV advertisments. |
NHK in Japan has no ads. |
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BS.Dos.

Joined: 29 Mar 2007
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Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 9:07 am Post subject: |
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^I stand corrected. |
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