David Cameron's new culture secretary said the BBC licence fee is 'worse than the poll tax'
REUTERS/Stefan WermuthDavid Cameron's newly appointed culture secretary John Whittingdale, previously the Conservative chair of the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, told an audience last year on a Bafta panel that the BBC licence fee is "worse than the poll tax" and "unsustainable."
The licence fee is a flat charge set by the Government and paid by everyone in the UK who watches or records TV programmes. Between April 1, 2013, and March 31, 2014, the cost was £145.50, or the equivalent of £12.13 per month.
Whittingdale, who replaces fellow Conservative Sajid Javid in the role, said on the Bafta panel last October that the structure of the licence fee needed to be tweaked in order to take the wealth of viewers and different viewing habits into account. He also questioned whether failure to pay the licence fee should be a criminal offence, as it currently is under the Communications Act 2003.
He said, according to The Telegraph:
"You then have the question of whether or not it should remain a flat poll tax, collected through some fairly draconian measures, and whether it should still be criminally enforceable...I think in the longer term we are potentially looking at reducing at least a proportion of the licence fee that is compulsory and offering choice."
The comments are unlikely to go down well at the BBC, which has already been obliged to make cuts of 20% as a result of a six-year freeze to the licence fee from 2010. Although he made clear in his speech that he believes the status quo is only unsustainable "over 20-50 years," there will be fears that Whittingdale's appointments hints at further pain to come.
However, it is better news for the BBC's commercial rivals which have long complained of the exorbitant privilege granted to the broadcaster due to the licence fee. Broker Liberum thinks the move could be a plus for ITV "as the BBC could be a much less aggressive competitor for audiences moving forwards" as it is forced to scale back.
- A centenarian who starts her day with gentle exercise and loves walks shares 5 longevity tips, including staying single
- A couple accidentally shipped their cat in an Amazon return package. It arrived safely 6 days later, hundreds of miles away.
- FSSAI in process of collecting pan-India samples of Nestle's Cerelac baby cereals: CEO
- Indian economy remains in bright spot: Ministry of Finance
- A surprise visit: Tesla CEO Elon Musk heads to China after deferring India visit
- Unemployment among Indian youth is high, but it is transient: RBI MPC member
- Private Equity Investments
- Having an regional accent can be bad for your interviews, especially an Indian one: study
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market