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Should the BBC license be mandatory? Should the BBC license be mandatory?
Yes, the BBC license should be mandatory Yes, the BBC license should be mandatory
No, the license should not be mandatory No, the license should not be mandatory
A mandatory license fee supports minority tastes A mandatory license fee supports minority tastes
The BBC provides a service for the public good The BBC provides a service for the public good
BBC News is an essential public service BBC News is an essential public service
The BBC World Service serves the national interest The BBC World Service serves the national interest
The BBC doesn’t account for the majority of TV The BBC doesn’t account for the majority of TV
The BBC Trust cannot be trusted The BBC Trust cannot be trusted
The license fee disproportionately affects poor households The license fee disproportionately affects poor households
The TV license is unpopular The TV license is unpopular
Linear TV is dead Linear TV is dead
The license fee is impossible to enforce The license fee is impossible to enforce
The mandatory license stifles innovation The mandatory license stifles innovation
Debate Mini Map

Should the BBC license be mandatory?
Back to question

No, the license should not be mandatory

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The license fee disproportionately affects poor households

The BBC television license is a regressive tax on poor households.
Alice Enders Sirena Bergman
< (3 of 7) Next argument >

Context

Administering a license fee at a flat rate of £154.50 per year makes it a larger burden on poorer households.

The Argument

A flat license fee is a regressive tax, meaning it disproportionately affects poor households. For a wealthy household, £154.50 is loose change, but for poor households, it makes up a sizeable amount of the monthly outgoings. To make the license fairer, it could be administered progressively. It could be tied to the annual household income and see poorer households pay less while wealthier households pay more.

Counter arguments

This isn’t an argument against the fee being mandatory. It is merely an argument against the fees structure. It would be easy to build a more progressive fee system that is more fairly administered that is still mandatory.

Proponents

Premises

[P1] The license fee is regressive and disproportionately impacts poor households. [P2] Regressive taxes and fees are unjust. [P3] Therefore, the license should not be mandatory.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] This is not an argument against a mandatory license fee.

References

This page was last edited on Monday, 30 Mar 2020 at 09:38 UTC

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