Monday 26 July 2010

An Invitation to Jeremy Hunt, MP: Boil Your Own Head

Via The Telegraph, I read these words by Jeremy Hunt, MP in regard to an "idea" to apply the license fee to those watching the BBC via their PC:

"What we have said very clearly is that we accept the principle of the licence fee which is the idea, if you like, of a household tax to fund public service broadcasting that is ring-fenced."
No, Mr Hunt, you are trying to establish a "household tax" and for that reason, I must request you go boil your own head.

If you want to remove limits preventing the BBC from establishing a charging mechanism linking a purchased TV license to the consumption of those programmes via devices other than a TV, then fine, but to use it to bootstrap in the concept of a "Household Tax"? No. No. No.

I would also say that in the interests of not appearing like a covert control freak Authoritarian, if such a license exists, it needs to not be used to identify the PC in terms of other surfing or activities. Otherwise the BBC database would be far to tempting a resource by those wishing to find out officially or unofficially who is doing what when those wishing to find out have no authority, right or warrant to do so.

2 comments:

CFD Ed said...

It has to be said that Council Tax/Rates are basically a household tax..

So already established the principal it's just a question of how much they gouge you for...

James Higham said...

In order to kick start the economy, the first thing to go is high taxation, beginning with VAT. In practical terms, it can't be eliminated yet but it can be reduced to 12% for a start.