The Lemon Fool

Come August and the aged 75+ will no longer be eligible for a free TV licence other than for those in receipt of Pension Credits.

Personally I opine that the government should slap the BBC and automatically entitle all 75+ to be Pension Credit registered, even if a 0.0001p/year rate - so no actual payment received after rounding, but legally 'in receipt of Pension Credits' and as such excluded from being pursued/harassed by the BBC for failing to have paid for a licence.

Seem to recall it being a Tory election pledge that the aged 75+ wouldn't have to pay the licence fee ???

1nvest wrote:Seem to recall it being a Tory election pledge that the aged 75+ wouldn't have to pay the licence fee ???

Quite the reverse surely. It was the Tory government who took the benefit away.

Scott.

swill453 wrote:

1nvest wrote:Seem to recall it being a Tory election pledge that the aged 75+ wouldn't have to pay the licence fee ???

Quite the reverse surely. It was the Tory government who took the benefit away.

Scott.

Those two items are not mutually exclusive. Never heard of an election pledge being reversed?

Quick search and ... (yes the Sun!)

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/10267743/ ... -licences/

2 Nov 2019

BORIS Johnson has vowed to save free TV licences for over-75s as a top election priority.

Sounds like extra funding was found paid to the BBC conditionally that the BBC would cover 'paying the 75+ licence fees', but its rolled into the BBC blaming politicians and vice-versa situation.

The thought of rolling the aged into Courts and the anxieties for some at the cost/risk of £1000 fines just seems so obnoxious. I recall a few years back at a empty house I was doing the mail/garden pick/tidy up was blitzed by BBC demands/court threats for payment.

1nvest wrote:Quick search and ... (yes the Sun!)

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/10267743/ ... -licences/

2 Nov 2019

BORIS Johnson has vowed to save free TV licences for over-75s as a top election priority.

Sounds like extra funding was found paid to the BBC conditionally that the BBC would cover 'paying the 75+ licence fees', but its rolled into the BBC blaming politicians and vice-versa situation.

The thought of rolling the aged into Courts and the anxieties for some at the cost/risk of £1000 fines just seems so obnoxious. I recall a few years back at a empty house I was doing the mail/garden pick/tidy up was blitzed by BBC demands/court threats for payment.

It’s not a popular opinion but mine is that taxes should be paid by those that can afford them most.

And the over 75s have much more cash than most*. They can afford the licence fee, don’t worry.

HYD

* Not including those in £1,000 a week care homes obvs

As an under 75, I wouldn't mind paying the BBC licence fee if their broadcasts and news programmes weren't so biased. As they are so biased I am contemplating cancelling my licence direct debit in protest.

richfool wrote:As an under 75, I wouldn't mind paying the BBC licence fee if their broadcasts and news programmes weren't so biased. As they are so biased I am contemplating cancelling my licence direct debit in protest.

And presumably no longer using the BBC's services too?

Howyoudoin wrote:And the over 75s have much more cash than most*. They can afford the licence fee, don’t worry.

Possibly a teensy bit of an over-generalisation?

We are were theoretically eligible because of one family member, but we wouldn't think of taking it up because, heck it's barely more than the price of a Costa Coffee a week, and the value for money is incredible. But I have a good friend in sheltered accommodation who has to budget much more tightly than I do, and he'd be lost without his daily news fix. I don't know whether he's on pension credit, but maybe I'll end up subbing his licence with the cash from my winter fuel allowance, which I also don't need?

Cut corners if you must, Boris, but beware the long-term social cost of switching off the daily mental stimulus for a million oldies.

BJ

bungeejumper wrote:

Howyoudoin wrote:And the over 75s have much more cash than most*. They can afford the licence fee, don’t worry.

Possibly a teensy bit of an over-generalisation?

BJ

Anyone with the basic state pension or more is not poor. Unless they have to pay rent out of it (or indeed care home fees, which are in a sense just rent with extremely high service levels).

I saw this first as a young grad. Then I saw when my own parents retired, and for the first time had money to spend on luxuries like eating out, and going to theatre or concerts more than about once a year. And I've seen it all around. If you think pensioners are impoverished, you've led an affluent life.

UncleEbenezer wrote:

bungeejumper wrote:

Howyoudoin wrote:And the over 75s have much more cash than most*. They can afford the licence fee, don’t worry.

Possibly a teensy bit of an over-generalisation?

BJ

Anyone with the basic state pension or more is not poor. Unless they have to pay rent out of it (or indeed care home fees, which are in a sense just rent with extremely high service levels).

I saw this first as a young grad. Then I saw when my own parents retired, and for the first time had money to spend on luxuries like eating out, and going to theatre or concerts more than about once a year. And I've seen it all around. If you think pensioners are impoverished, you've led an affluent life.

I am a pensioner and I do not think I am poor nor are any of those down my street but I suspect that there are many who will struggle even if they do not qualify for the Pension Credit. I think it is dangerous to over-generalise as BJ has said. A bit like a lot of the stuff that the Government is currently doing, giving free licences to all over 75s is a very blunt instrument to meet what may be a fairly limited social need. If the BBC were forced to reduce some of its programming I do not think that that would be a bad thing but I doubt that we can altogether blame it for not doing so.

Dod

Anyone living solely on a state pension certainly isn't rich. I would call them poor. If they had rent or a mortgage to pay that would wipe out the whole lot. Council tax takes about 1/3 of my state pension per month, then add utilities, water, that's half of it gone, without food, running a car, or paying a TV licence,etc. It's a good job I have a much larger occupational pension.

Dod101 wrote:I am a pensioner and I do not think I am poor nor are any of those down my street but I suspect that there are many who will struggle even if they do not qualify for the Pension Credit. I think it is dangerous to over-generalise as BJ has said. A bit like a lot of the stuff that the Government is currently doing, giving free licences to all over 75s is a very blunt instrument to meet what may be a fairly limited social need.

Point of order, though, Uncle E. We seem to be conflating the terms "over 75" and pensioner", as if they were the same thing, and they're really not.

Speaking as a recent pensioner (self-employed, self-financed, no cushy DB scheme or even an employer's pension contribution), I think it's attractive - but wrong - to draw forward assumptions from the fortunes of a fortunate pre-boomer retired generation who really did have it all gilt-edged and index-linked. The great majority of retirees over the last ten or fifteen years have had a fixed annual pension which has already been sharply eroded by inflation, and will continue to be so. That's a significantly tougher deal.

Yeah, we could argue about the triple lock, but that only applies to the basic state pension (£7-8K a year), and it's probably for the chop any day now. Somehow I don't think tomorrow's pensioners will be splashing the cash like their elders used to do. But I suppose we'll see?

BJ

bungeejumper wrote: The great majority of retirees over the last ten or fifteen years have had a fixed annual pension which has already been sharply eroded by inflation, and will continue to be so. That's a significantly tougher deal.

Can you explain please? I can't think how this can be true.

Older people's savings used to provide an income that would pay some of their bills.

Not now due to the interest rate reductions!

You have to shop around to get just 1%!

Just to pay the extra for a TV licence, a 75-year-old needs savings of almost £16,000 and double that for the majority of savings accounts on the market.

Even care home residents are stung for the full licence or £7.50!

https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if- ... costs-top2
Residents may qualify for a discounted TV Licence fee of £7.50.
Residents, staff and residents’ families all need a separate licence for their own living area.

bungeejumper wrote:

Howyoudoin wrote:And the over 75s have much more cash than most*. They can afford the licence fee, don’t worry.

Possibly a teensy bit of an over-generalisation?

We are were theoretically eligible because of one family member, but we wouldn't think of taking it up because, heck it's barely more than the price of a Costa Coffee a week, and the value for money is incredible. But I have a good friend in sheltered accommodation who has to budget much more tightly than I do, and he'd be lost without his daily news fix. I don't know whether he's on pension credit, but maybe I'll end up subbing his licence with the cash from my winter fuel allowance, which I also don't need?

Cut corners if you must, Boris, but beware the long-term social cost of switching off the daily mental stimulus for a million oldies.

BJ

There's no suggestion that they will 'switch off' the really poor pensioners though is there? I thought that they were exempt from the new charge.

HYD

Howyoudoin wrote:There's no suggestion that they will 'switch off' the really poor pensioners though is there? I thought that they were exempt from the new charge.

Those receiving Pension Credit will still get a free TV licence. If a pensioner's income is below £173.75/week (for single people) or £265.20/week (for couples) then they're entitled to Pension Credit. Savings above £10,000 start to count towards the income calculation.

Scott.

Fundamentally I do not like the BBC. Used to be great but over recent years has drifted massively. Rarely watch BBC channels, don't really want to subsidise them anymore.

Thinking (for elderly relative) of Netflix for channels, radio for news, no licence required for those. £9/month £108/year compared to £157/year BBC licence fee. Yes Netflix also requires the internet, so £18/month unlimited SIM ... instead of £20/month to BT for a landline.

Not for the financial saving/difference, but rather just as a legal anti-BBC action and its progressive anti white-straight-male tendencies.

OH and I are in the fortunate position of being able to afford to pay for TV licence but don't really watch a lot of TV. We're avid readers and listen to the radio for news and have Amazon Prime and Netfix (via a family subscription)I get weather reports via computer. I believe that the BBC have spent in excess of £80 million building a new set for Eastenders and this was over budget by about £25 million. It annoys me that my money is going to schemes like this. I also object to paying Linekar vast sums of money to comment on a sport I have zero interest in. My grandson who is a sports fan says he's offered to do the job for £50k a year but his offer wasn't taken up. I would welcome a referendum on the future of the BBC, I would abide by whatever decision was reached but it would certainly be an interesting exercise and maybe focus the minds of those in charge.

R6

Rhyd6 wrote:I also object to paying Linekar vast sums of money to comment on a sport I have zero interest in.
R6

Me too, particularly when he tries to tell us which way we should vote re Brexit!

Britbox does not require a tv license, so could be attractive if you are happy to wait for content. And its tempting to cycle through the subscriptions having a few months of each