In February 2020 the government launched a consultation on decriminalising TV licence evasion. Read the TaxPayers' Alliance submission below:
Executive summary
- Non-payment of the TV licence should become a civil rather than criminal offence. This is because the current criminal offence is especially burdensome on the most vulnerable and those with protected characteristics, as well as the court system.
- Non-payment should be treated as a civil debt, mirroring the treatment of unpaid utility bills.
- Conditional access devices could be used to mitigate the impact of non-payment. Such technology already exists.