POLL: Should wealthier pay extra for the BBC?
The former BBC Chairman Richard Sharp has mentioned that better-off households ought to should pay extra for the general public broadcaster’s companies.
He mentioned that the TV licence fee could possibly be changed with a variable tax on broadband payments or council tax sooner or later, telling the Daily Telegraph’s Chopper’s Politics podcast final week that the present system is “regressive” as households on decrease incomes pay the identical worth.
Households which watch or stream reside programming from the Corporation are required to have a £159 annual TV licence, which covers all gadgets. But the BBC’s present funding association ends after 2027 which means the Government is searching for a brand new funding mannequin.
Mr Sharp defined: “I would be in favour of a form of a mandatory payment – currently the licence fee. There is one issue which is it’s regressive, which may need to be addressed.”
He added: “You can look at models around the world, there’s a broadband tax, there’s a household tax and there’s the licence fee. Change is disruptive from moving from one mechanism that works to another.”
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The TV licence charge has been frozen for 2 years, till 2024, however is about to extend according to inflation from April to £172 a yr, with the £13 rise being the most important hike in over 20 years.
Shadow Culture Secretary Lucy Powell said earlier this year that a Labour Government would look at reforming the licence fee to be means-tested.
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She instructed The i earlier this yr: “The licence fee might not be the model you’d start with that everybody pays the same whether you’re rich or poor. But I think the core principle of everybody contributing and it being a universal service that everybody contributes is absolutely right.”
A BBC spokesperson mentioned: “The licence fee is our agreed method of funding until at least 2027 and ensures the BBC is an independent, universal broadcaster, which invests in UK creativity and talent. Beyond that, it is right there is a debate on whether, and if, the licence fee needs to evolve. We will continue to work hard to serve all audiences.”
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