Computer tax

[electromagneticpulse]

Computer tax set to replace TV licence fee (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1508650,00.html)

THE BBC licence fee should be replaced by a tax on the ownership of a personal computer instead of a television, ministers said yesterday.
And ministers can take a large hot poker and do obscene things to themselves, EMP said today. :evil:

All I can say is a long string of obscenities and when hell freezes over. I can't believe they would put a tax on computers, if they do I’ll put a tax on their oxygen £5000 per atom!

Must breath deep; feel like killing spree in the house of commons. I mean putting tax on computers is like putting a tax on my job and my life as I spend over 2 hours a day writing. All I can say is how the heck did they get into the House of Commons aren't they supposed to be the peoples peers not [blanked for political context].


Well i'm off to suck on half a ton of night nurse to help me die like a computer tax would. 8-[

[ToSeek]

If people are using their computers to watch television programs, it would make sense to me.

In any case, even if this change does happen, it's not going to take effect for another 12 years. Who knows what the overall situation will be like then? It scarcely seems like something to freak out about now.

[electromagneticpulse]

If people are using their computers to watch television programs, it would make sense to me.

In any case, even if this change does happen, it's not going to take effect for another 12 years. Who knows what the overall situation will be like then? It scarcely seems like something to freak out about now.

True in 12 years I’ll hopefully have money to afford paying more tax. But I find it makes ill sense to tax us yet again for using the Internet, a percentage of what’s paid for broadband connection goes to the government.

Also simply implementing a pay-per-view system where you give your credit card details or bank details for a direct debit depending on how much time you watch TV. Or simply cross-reference the details to see who's paying their TV licence or not instead of taxing for TV, PC and Phones.

At least they aren't threatening to tax my music [touches wood]

[iFire]

There is a tax on ownership of a T.V. over in England?

[ToSeek]

There is a tax on ownership of a T.V. over in England?

That's how the BBC is funded, as contrasted with the "begging for dollars" that PBS stations over here do.

[jumbo]

There is a tax on ownership of a T.V. over in England?
kind of, yes. If you have a tv or video or pc tv card that is capable of recieving a BBC station then you are liable to pay the liscence fee of about 120 pounds.

If it can't recieve a BBC station i.e. its detuned (you`re using it as a monitor for an xbox say) then you arent liable.

[electromagneticpulse]

If it can't recieve a BBC station i.e. its detuned then you arent liable.
[edited]

That’s why I have an objection to it, I detest watching TV on my PC. It's like having a HDTV, they're pointless because only about 3% of television providers can give HDTV standards. My monitor displays at 2048 x 1536 and my TV display's at about 320 x 240 max.

The only thing I can watch on my computer are DVD's as they already have high definition. So watching TV on my PC would take up about a 6th of my display, i have bad eyesight as it is and I don't want static being about an inch wide to view full screen. Plus I don't want a PC in my living room for a TV :roll:

[frogesque]

Like EMP this is something that gets me het up. I don't own a TV and don't want one. There is already adequate legislation to cover TV tuner cards in PCs. This is about the coming of digital television, and the fact that the BBC can't control their own expenditure.

And, if anyone from TV Licensing, Bristol, is listening: if you want to visit my house and check I don't have a set under the bed then show just cause, get a warrant duly signed, and turn up with a Police Constable. I have had 10 years of hassle and I'm just a bit ticked off by it.

[/rant] :lol:

[Evan]

TVs are taxed in most European countries as well. They drive about in vans with special receiving gear that picks up the local oscillator signals from the TV to determine if you are watching one.

My cousin was living in Denmark and the local TV snooper came to his door asking to see his TV licence. My cousin replied that he didn't require one as his television was a NTSC model he had brought over from the US just to watch and edit tapes on his VCR. The TV snoop had to see for himself and agreed that since it couldn't pick up PAL programming it wasn't taxable.

What my cousin didn't explain is that his VCR has a PAL to NTSC converter in it.

[jumbo]

Im not so bothered about the actual fee. (Though I think the computer tax is silly since it assumes anyone with a pc will be watching some bbc content which is not always true.) What i object to is the guilty until proven innocent mindset. A former resident at my house recives 3 or 4 threatening letters a year as she doesnt have a tv license for this property. She moved out 3 years ago and has a license for her current porperty. she has told the inspectors this. she has written to the relevent bodies but still the threats come. After having recieved my first ( i have paid my fee and have the documentation to prove it) i`ve decided anyone who wants to see my licence will need a warrant to come and check it.

[electromagneticpulse]

What i object to is the guilty until proven innocent mindset. A former resident at my house recives 3 or 4 threatening letters a year as she doesnt have a tv license for this property. She moved out 3 years ago and has a license for her current porperty. she has told the inspectors this. she has written to the relevent bodies but still the threats come. After having recieved my first ( i have paid my fee and have the documentation to prove it) i`ve decided anyone who wants to see my licence will need a warrant to come and check it.

As far as i know you and your former resident aren't the only ones as it has happened to almost everyone i know who owns their own property.

Im not so bothered about the actual fee. (Though I think the computer tax is silly since it assumes anyone with a pc will be watching some bbc content which is not always true.)
BBC content??? What BBC content it's all either stolen from ITV or it's not worth watching IMO. The only thing i ever watch is BBC2 for never mind the buzzcocks and personally i could buy a bill bailey dvd and i wouldn't need to watch it. Here's the thing with my TV i've inverted the channels so it goes 4 up to 1 because my tv auto start is on channel 1 and it saves me about 5 seconds a day, which adds up to about 30 mins a year. I normally miss buzzcocks anyway there's always something better on channel 4.

The BBC is just the big boring channel because it has nothing and even when it had simpsons on it showed them so many times they weren't good anymore.