TV license?

Dockhead

Dockhead

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We do have a TV on board. It has hardly ever been used; while cruising we prefer to bask in fellowship and conversation and would never switch on the boob tube. I have used it a few times when on board alone doing maintenance in the marina.

I am a U.S. citizen and the idea of a TV license is an alien concept. I read on the RYA website that unless you live aboard, your boat TV is covered by the license for your main residence. I neither live aboard, nor do I have a residence in the UK. I presume this means that I should have a TV license for the boat.

Can I assume that because virtually all UK yachtsmen will not need TV licenses for their boats, because they have one at home, and certainly don't carry it around with them, that there are no mechanisms in place to enforce the license requirement in a case like mine?

Or am I assuming too much, and better get one?

I will be grateful for your advice.
 
Dockhead said:
We do have a TV on board. It has hardly ever been used; while cruising we prefer to bask in fellowship and conversation and would never switch on the boob tube. I have used it a few times when on board alone doing maintenance in the marina.

I am a U.S. citizen and the idea of a TV license is an alien concept. I read on the RYA website that unless you live aboard, your boat TV is covered by the license for your main residence. I neither live aboard, nor do I have a residence in the UK. I presume this means that I should have a TV license for the boat.

Can I assume that because virtually all UK yachtsmen will not need TV licenses for their boats, because they have one at home, and certainly don't carry it around with them, that there are no mechanisms in place to enforce the license requirement in a case like mine?

Or am I assuming too much, and better get one?

I will be grateful for your advice.
Click to expand...

The licensing mechanism is to assume that every house has a TV and send threatening letters to any house that has NOT got a licence. Even if they genuinely have no TV.

If you buy a TV or TV recording device in this country the seller has to take your address and forward it to TV Licensing, so they can check it's not going to somewhere that is not already in their database of premises.

Legally I think you should have a license, but your chances of being found out on a boat are probably very, very low.
 
jwilson said:
The licensing mechanism is to assume that every house has a TV and send threatening letters to any house that has NOT got a licence. Even if they genuinely have no TV.
Click to expand...

That makes sense. So is that the exclusive method of enforcement? Or do they do the same things with yachts? That they would go around marinas seemed highly unlikely to me, which was at the heart of my question.


jwilson said:
If you buy a TV or TV recording device in this country the seller has to take your address and forward it to TV Licensing, so they can check it's not going to somewhere that is not already in their database of premises..
Click to expand...

That won't trigger any check in my case.

jwilson said:
Legally I think you should have a license, but your chances of being found out on a boat are probably very, very low.
Click to expand...

Yes, that was what I thought, too, but is it a reasonable assumption? Does anyone have concrete information about whether they check yachts, or not?

I don't want to go through the bureaucracy or incur the expense for a TV which gets used twice a year. I don't even have a UK address so it will be a hassle to deal with them. Of course, I could just bin the TV . . .
 
I would say that you have more chance of winning the lottery than getting caught, even if you never buy a ticket !
If the worst happens, plead ignorance, or that you never watch BBC. The fine will probably be less than the licence fee and you're unlikely to get deported.
 
oldsaltoz said:
TV licence ?????

This is ridiculous in today's world, TV licences where phased out many years ago in Oz.

Someone could get elected if they promised to abolish them, anyone up for it.
Click to expand...

Quite.

But here, there is an 'audio/visual' tax adition on the annual house tax. Easy to opt out of, but I assume they might come looking if you do.
In your case I would forget it.

In the UK, the massive BBC has to be funded. I no longer watch their news as I find it biased.
 
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If you have a TV licence at home this covers portable sets used in boats and caravans. I dont know anyone who either carries their TV licence with them in their boat or caravan, or has ever been asked for it.

Tv detector vans do go around, but I never heard of one operating on a Marina or campsite.

The excuse that you 'never watch BBC' is not a defence. You are supposed to have a license for your home address that covers 'any apparatus capable of receiving Tv signals'. That of course includes Tv tuners for PCs etc.

Thats the law. Whether it is sensible, reasonable or even sane is another matter.
 
simonfraser said:
i've had threatening letters to my work from the TV license folk for at least 6 years, without any effect / visits / penalties.

i don't have a TV there, just don't like the intrusive threatening letters, so i have never responded.

i can't see them checking yachts out somehow.
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I've not had a TV for years and especially when I lived in London I could've opened my own recycling plant with the threatening letters I recieved. The last straw was when they sent around a lying thug who told me he'd detected a TV with a handheld detector. I don't think he realised I had a degree in physics. Anyway he didn't get in, but after that I decided to be as unco-operative as possible.

They used to include a pre-paid envelope in their send-us-a-cheque-or-you'll-go-to-jail letters, so I sent all those back empty.

The best bit was that I got the TV detector van outside my window for a few days (could've been there longer as I'd been working abroad for three weeks and only saw it when I got back). They had to pay a couple of blokes to drink coffee in it.

There used to be four TV detector vans, three Bedford vans & a VW van. I got the VW. I've heard that there's no kit in them, but the VW van has a working aerial that goes up thirty or forty feet.

In theory they can pick up the IF emissions from the TV receiver, but I suspect accurately triangulating them to identify a particular household in a densely populate urban area is very difficult. They mainly seem to use the database of all addresses and information from sale of TVs.

In answer to the OP, I suspect that you very unlikely to be found. If anyone does come, don't let them on board and cast off before they can come back with reinforcements. Would have made it even more awkward for them if you'd a US flag.
 
After all these helpful and encouraging replies, let's hope there isn't a jobsworth from the TV licensing police on this forum!
 
You only need a tv licence if you require the TV to watch live broadcasts.

We don't have one, we don't even watch TV as we are sick of the re-runs and useless news which has basically become the mouthpiece of the now-departed government.Is there actually anything good broadcast on tv anymore?

We've received threatening letters, telling us that if we have a TV, we require a licence.... no we don't, if any of you read the small print you'll see it's only to receive live broadcasts :)
 
I see I touched a sore spot in UK society.

I'm grateful for all the advice. I'm wavering between chucking (or giving away) the TV, or just forgetting about it.

I'm surprised the authorities do it like this. It seems a very inefficient way to fund state television. Why don't they just take it out of general tax revenues? Are they really that desperate to understate the tax burden?
 
"I'm surprised the authorities do it like this. It seems a very inefficient way to fund state television. Why don't they just take it out of general tax revenues? Are they really that desperate to understate the tax burden? "

You may well be surprised - I'm bloody furious!

I suspect that if the profligacy of the BBC was funded from general taxation there would be rioting in the street.

£18M for a disk jockey, More people in the BBC team covering the US presidential election than any of the US networks, A 7 figure sum to hire a boat for a party for the great and good. 17 satellite channels all transmitting the same programme. etc. etc.

The license fee only funds the BBC, none of the other commercial channels.

There is a further point that everyone with a TV has to have a license whether they pay tax or not - so the unemployed and the favorite victims of the licensing authority - young single mothers - still have to pay, where only those who choose not to have TV get out of the license fee.

The fine for not paying will be related to the earnings of the person being fined and is almost invariably less than the license. The Agency do ask for costs though, typically £60.
 
jwilson said:
If you buy a TV or TV recording device in this country the seller has to take your address and forward it to TV Licensing, so they can check it's not going to somewhere that is not already in their database of premises.

QUOTE]

I have never heard of this! Have just bought a new TV from Tescos. No mention of name and address. Just flash your credit card and get the double Clubcard points! Suppose they could pick up the details from the Clubcard, but I doubt.

Probably bought 6 TVs from various sources and never been asked for details to be forwarded to the licensing authorities.
Click to expand...
 
Dockhead said:
I see I touched a sore spot in UK society.

I'm grateful for all the advice. I'm wavering between chucking (or giving away) the TV, or just forgetting about it.

I'm surprised the authorities do it like this. It seems a very inefficient way to fund state television. Why don't they just take it out of general tax revenues? Are they really that desperate to understate the tax burden?
Click to expand...

They introduced another tax a few years ago called The National Lottery. Fortunately it's voluntary
 
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