As someone who was caught and prosecuted for failing to pay TV tax I have learned it is very hard to escape once you've been targeted.
Long story short I was summoned to court for failing to pay my TV tax and ended up being found guilty. While I hadn't used cable tv in nearly 10 years I did use internet. It was ruled that since I had access to the internet and my tablet and/or phone were capable of downloading and viewing the BBC iplayer I needed to pay the tax. In no way could I say I was never going to watch the iplayer as I could get it at anytime with just a couple clicks. That's what really did me in. The whole time I was in court it was always about my ability to view any BBC program. They didn't care about anything else. I ended up having to back pay 5 years of fees as well.
Such a crime that tax is.
Having a computer or anything else with access to the internet does not mean you need a TV licence......you must have invited the licence 'Goons' into your house and given them information that you were using BBC iplayer? They rely on scaring people by letter and on their initial contact on the doorstep. You do not have to speak to them or let them in your house, it is recommended you remain silent and shut the door as they do not have any special powers of entry without Police and an official search warrant.
"Visiting officers (Goons) are employed by operations contractor Capita.The occupier is not legally obliged to speak to a visiting officer and can ask them to leave at any time. Visiting officers do not have the automatic right to enter a person’s property, but will often request voluntary access to confirm whether or not licensable programme services are being received. Some people will be happy to co-operate with such a request, but an increasing number of non-TV users begrudge being asked to
prove a negative to TV Licensing. TV Licensing Visiting Procedures is a comprehensive document governing how visiting officers perform their duties. In particular
they must always say who they are, show their ID on request and leave when asked to. They must never use the threat of a search warrant or the police to gain entry. In our experience TV Licensing visiting officers frequently ignore these rules. Under normal conditions of employment a full time visiting officer, working the equivalent of 37.5 hours per week, is expected to take at least 38 “Code 8” prosecution statements under caution. They can be disciplined if they miss that target."
From TV Licensing Laid Bare:-
http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk
Edited by mab01uk, 25 March 2019 - 08:29 PM.