Closed petition Scrap the TV Licence Fee

Closed on 28 February 2014

We ask the Government to replace the TV Licence Fee with a voluntary subscription. The commercial element of the BBC would be scrambled for non-subscribers and the public service content would be free to air.

The TV Licence Fee is responsible for 12% of court prosecutions. It criminalises poor people and forces people to pay for genuinely ‘free’ services funded by advertising.

The public are disgusted by recent developments ranging from exorbitant executive severance packages to alleged sexual abuse of a horrendous magnitude.

The BBC is an important British institution that should be contributing substantially to the national economy, not just exploiting the exclusive benefits of the public.

We argue that shifting to a voluntary subscription model is the best way to make this happen. It would allow the public the chance to make its own choices, as well as making the BBC more responsive to consumer demands and interests.