TV Licences: Up to 3.7 million over-75s to pay licence fee

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expressman33
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Re: TV Licences: Up to 3.7 million over-75s to pay licence fee

Post by expressman33 » Tue Jun 11 2019 10:34am

AAAlphaThunder wrote:
Tue Jun 11 2019 6:29am
expressman33 wrote:
Mon Jun 10 2019 6:00pm
Another reason to not save for a pension. Just spend all your money then claim benefits
The "benefits" will keep you just above the breadlines.

Hardly wonderland.
Pension Credit ( you get more if you're a non-married couple than a married couple)
What you'll get
Your circumstances Guarantee Credit per week Savings Credit per week
Single people Top up to £167.25 Up to £13.73
Couples Top up to £255.25 Up to £15.35
cash in any pensions you might have and put the money under the bed ;)
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Boro Boy
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Re: TV Licences: Up to 3.7 million over-75s to pay licence fee

Post by Boro Boy » Wed Jun 19 2019 9:15pm

And a last word on the subject from Roger Gale - Conservative MP for Thanet North:

"I wrote, back in March, of the likelihood of the BBC withdrawing the concessionary TV licence from those over the age of 75. That prediction has now become a reality and has resulted in a storm of protest stimulating a petition signed by somewhere in the region of 500,000 people. In her own inimitable way ‘Auntie’ has scored a spectacular own- goal.
The Beeb complains that it cannot afford to give away the ‘free’ Television licence without cutting back on programmes. The corporation cites, first, the already under-funded pauper of broadcast services, local radio, as being at risk and then lists other ‘much- loved’ channels and programmes that could not continue without the considerable sum paid out, or to be more exact not collected, from pensioners. This sleight of hand ignores two major considerations.
First, when the Government of the day transferred responsibility for the concessionary licence - it is not, of course, ‘free’ but is paid for by other TV users - from the Department for Work and Pensions to the BBC it did so as part of a not ungenerous licence fee increase and settlement designed to fund public service broadcasting into the future.
Second, it overlooks the fact that, as I said in March, there are some cost- centres within the Corporation that appear to be financially incontinent. The salaries of some senior management, a significant number of whom are paid appreciably more than the Prime Minister, and of many ‘stars’ of screen and radio, are legendary as is the transport and hospitality bill run up in some quarters of The Salford Media City and Broadcasting House in London. There is also the fact that an organisation that, when I worked for it, boasted a couple of TV channels, four national radio streams and a network of local stations all supported by some excellent regional production centres has grown like Topsy into an empire reaching out into e very nook and cranny of digital platforms and a myriad of broadcast and online outlets. Is this seriously what Public Service Broadcasting was intended to be or has it become an institutionalised job- creation exercise at a time when there is so much other excellent unsubsidised material available?
I have great sympathy with the proposition that people like myself or, to pick a name out of the hat, the Radio Four Today presenter, John Humphreys, do not deserve or need or should receive ‘free’ TV licences any more than we should be entitled to ‘free’ bus passes or Winter Fuel Allowance and I don’t doubt that John H would agree with that. Similarly, I see no reason why those over retirement age but still in full- time employment should be exempt from National Insurance Contributions. There are many people, and not only those over retirement age, who require assistance and given finite resources benefits should surely be targeted where they are really needed rather than handed out indiscriminately on the basis of age?
Granting ‘free’ TV licences to those in receipt of Pension Credit only, which is the Corporation’s proposal, is not the answer. First, there is a whole raft of benefits that should not be handed out to higher rate tax- payers at all and second the National State Pension needs to be set at a rate that allows the government to roll up all age- related benefits into that state pension. That, of course, would mean removing not one but a number of what are offensively regarded as ‘perks’ in the interests of allowing people to decide for themselves how they want to spend their money. And you can bet your sweet life that that, also, would generate howls of protest and be another political hot potato!"

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Re: TV Licences: Up to 3.7 million over-75s to pay licence fee

Post by blythburgh » Thu Jun 20 2019 8:01am

expressman33 wrote:
Tue Jun 11 2019 10:34am

Pension Credit ( you get more if you're a non-married couple than a married couple)
Why should a married couple get twice what a single person gets? A married couple have one heating/electricity bill. One water/sewage bill. One house/contents bill. And I could go on.

I remember at one time I was claiming benefit whilst studying at the local college and could earn £5 a week before my benefit was cut as I lived on my own. But a friend who was also a mature student could earn £15 before his benefit was cut because he was married.

Crazy that he could earn three times what I could but I had the same amount of bills.
Keep smiling because the light at the end of someone's tunnel may be you, Ron Cheneler

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Re: TV Licences: Up to 3.7 million over-75s to pay licence fee

Post by pabenny » Thu Jun 20 2019 10:25am

blythburgh wrote:
Thu Jun 20 2019 8:01am
Why should a married couple get twice what a single person gets?
They don't. Its about 50% more - see the figures quoted by Mr Expressman
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Re: TV Licences: Up to 3.7 million over-75s to pay licence fee

Post by blythburgh » Thu Jun 20 2019 10:44am

pabenny wrote:
Thu Jun 20 2019 10:25am
blythburgh wrote:
Thu Jun 20 2019 8:01am
Why should a married couple get twice what a single person gets?
They don't. Its about 50% more - see the figures quoted by Mr Expressman
But the post implied that was unfair. Or did I take the post in the wrong way? That is the problem with posting on here. No body language, no voice to give me clues to meaning etc. It is easier to work out what a person means by what they say when I can see and here them.
Keep smiling because the light at the end of someone's tunnel may be you, Ron Cheneler

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Re: TV Licences: Up to 3.7 million over-75s to pay licence fee

Post by expressman33 » Thu Jun 20 2019 12:27pm

blythburgh wrote:
Thu Jun 20 2019 10:44am
pabenny wrote:
Thu Jun 20 2019 10:25am
blythburgh wrote:
Thu Jun 20 2019 8:01am
Why should a married couple get twice what a single person gets?
They don't. Its about 50% more - see the figures quoted by Mr Expressman
But the post implied that was unfair. Or did I take the post in the wrong way? That is the problem with posting on here. No body language, no voice to give me clues to meaning etc. It is easier to work out what a person means by what they say when I can see and here them.
A couple living together who are NOT married can "sometimes" get more than a married couple.

An ex work colleague of mine lived with her partner for 15 years ( they were both retired ) ,but would not get married because they would be a lot worse off.
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Re: TV Licences: Up to 3.7 million over-75s to pay licence fee

Post by kevinchess1 » Thu Jun 20 2019 6:44pm

AAAlphaThunder wrote:
Tue Jun 11 2019 6:29am
expressman33 wrote:
Mon Jun 10 2019 6:00pm
Another reason to not save for a pension. Just spend all your money then claim benefits
The "benefits" will keep you just above the breadlines.
Well buying a TV license won't exactly break the bank
Am I reading these comments right?
Poster feel that ALL pensioners over 75 should get free Licenses? Is that right
So posters are happy to subsidise the Queen and Prince philip. Micheal Heseltine the list goes on
If they don't do this then they may put the cost up
Will posters be willing to pay extra so thaT THEY can give licenses to the over 75?
I doubt it
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Richard Frost
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Re: TV Licences: Up to 3.7 million over-75s to pay licence fee

Post by Richard Frost » Thu Jun 20 2019 7:53pm

kevinchess1 wrote:
Thu Jun 20 2019 6:44pm
Will posters be willing to pay extra so thaT THEY can give licenses to the over 75?
I doubt it
No. But I would be willing to lose probably half of the BBC useless output across the country and support reduced salaries to the Chairman and other over important surplus pompous people in both the BBC Trust and BBC Corporations Management, also a vastly reduced management structure.

Ideally though I would like the government to take back the responsibility for this. I also think that it should be means tested. A good percentage of over 75's do not need it. Either that or pensions raised across the board, so there is no need to means test them. It not gonna happen though. Coz there is not enough money unless people accept that they have to pay more taxes if they want a decent society.
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Re: TV Licences: Up to 3.7 million over-75s to pay licence fee

Post by pabenny » Thu Jun 20 2019 8:34pm

William Joseph1 wrote:
Thu Jun 20 2019 7:53pm
.. I would be willing to lose probably half of the BBC useless output across the country
You mean all the stuff that I like?
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Re: TV Licences: Up to 3.7 million over-75s to pay licence fee

Post by Richard Frost » Thu Jun 20 2019 9:10pm

pabenny wrote:
Thu Jun 20 2019 8:34pm
William Joseph1 wrote:
Thu Jun 20 2019 7:53pm
.. I would be willing to lose probably half of the BBC useless output across the country
You mean all the stuff that I like?
Possibly, but that's the beauty of life we are all different and my view is a personal one.
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