12-12-2023, 11:53 PM
I think the justification is that the vast majority of people do use the BBC in some form, even if they (legitimately) don’t watch TV or iPlayer.
It’s also not unprecedented that taxes pay for things that most/a lot of people use but you might not yourself. Schools, for example, being a big one. If you have no children, you fund them anyway. If you send your children to private school, you fund state schools anyway.
Even the way the TVL works now isn’t a straight payment for BBC services - as you say yourself, you have to pay it if you watch any TV (even if you never watch BBC channels) yet the BBC’s radio services and website are just free. That makes no real sense.
It’s also not unprecedented that taxes pay for things that most/a lot of people use but you might not yourself. Schools, for example, being a big one. If you have no children, you fund them anyway. If you send your children to private school, you fund state schools anyway.
Even the way the TVL works now isn’t a straight payment for BBC services - as you say yourself, you have to pay it if you watch any TV (even if you never watch BBC channels) yet the BBC’s radio services and website are just free. That makes no real sense.