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Originally Posted by 1andrew1
Maybe it's me, but where is Chris advocating the German system?
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Never said he did.
The notion has been raised of adding to the council tax, and "The Mirror" article mentions the German Property Tax as an example of how it could work.
Link
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In the interview, Hall agreed that Germany's household tax, which all homes must pay even if they don't own a TV, radio or smartphone, might make more sense than the TV Licence.
He said: "I think finding ways in which the licence fee can be charged progressively so those who can afford to pay more and those who can’t afford to pay less, should be looked at."
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I did some research to see how it is supposed to work in Germany, only to find that isn't the system they use. There is no connection between the German household tax and their equivalent of the TV licence. In Germany, you
have to register where you live. That forms the basis for receiving the bill. It is
more obligatory than the UK TV Licence. In Germany there is no link between the amount of household tax paid and the amount charged for the "TV Licence". In Germany you are still chased for non-payment.
The only real difference appears to be establishing liability to pay. In the UK, its gone from owning broadcast receiving equipment, and become more complicated by online services. People complain enough about being asked to pay when they "don't watch the BBC". In that sense. the German system is worse, as far as the complainers are concerned.
All in all, not much of a "sea-change" with the German system.
---------- Post added at 11:13 ---------- Previous post was at 11:07 ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris
Precepting through council tax raises the intriguing possibility of free tv as a benefit for those on low incomes. That could be a good thing.
I’d also encourage you to look at your annual council tax bill and try to get a handle on how precepting works. You should see there an amount requested from your fire and police authorities. If your local district council is not a unitary authority (I.e. you also have a county council) then you will see a precept from the county as well. If the BBC were to become a precepting authority, then your contribution to them would simply become another line on your council tax bill. Note that the amount your fire and police authorities ask for is not connected to the council’s own funding requirements in any way. There is therefore no need for a broadcasting precept to vary from council area to council area. Council tax bills vary from place to place largely because of decisions taken by the council.
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Why does the Austrian version vary depending on where you live? If it's linked to property values, then it would automatically vary according to where you live.
Would still mean the council were responsible for collecting the TV licence debt.