[arista]

[There are 25,752,560 television licences
in the UK, according to the
most recent figures – a slight drop
on the previous year,
despite the population
continuing to increase.]


[What is the legal status
of the licence fee?
Non-payment of the TV licence
by someone who watches live TV
or uses the catch-up BBC iPlayer
service is a criminal offence.
TV Licensing, the arm of the
BBC that enforces the charge,
estimates that around 6%
of British households
watch TV without a valid licence.]


[According to TV Licensing,
the revenue collection process
begins by writing to homes
listed as not having a licence.
“If no response is received from an address,
the tone of the letters progressively
becomes stronger to encourage a reply.
Sometimes a stronger message
is required for people to comply
with their legal obligation.
The address will also be listed
for a visit from an enquiry
officer to enquire about the
licensing requirements.”

Officers do not have a legal right
of entry to a person’s home without
a search warrant from a court,
but they may ask to be let in,
at which point they check whether
there is a television in the
main living space.]


[The maximum penalty for
not having a TV licence is a £1,000 fine.
There is no jail term attached
to the offence,
but a person may be imprisoned by
the court for failing to pay the court fine.]


[This article was amended on
17 December 2019 because
an earlier version incorrectly
made reference to a “civil offence”.
This has been changed to “civil debt”.]


https://www.theguardian.com/media/20...by-tv-licences


Yes it needs to be changed
again.