Petition · past parliament
Abolish the television licence fee.
Rejected
21 signatures
What the petition asks
The television licence fee is an unnecessary taxation on members of the public and most broadcasting companies bring in revenue via advertising and or subscription based services.
GOV responded 21 Feb19
A TV licence is required to watch or receive TV as it is broadcast live or on BBC iPlayer.
Response in full The licence fee is payment for a licence to watch or receive television programmes. It is not a fee or charge for BBC services and is payable regardless of whether the licence holder ever watches the BBC. Licence fee revenue is not just used to fund the BBC, it is also used for other strategic public service objectives including broadband, local television and S4C.
A TV licence is required to watch or receive TV as it is broadcast live or on BBC iPlayer.
Response in full The licence fee is payment for a licence to watch or receive television programmes. It is not a fee or charge for BBC services and is payable regardless of whether the licence holder ever watches the BBC. Licence fee revenue is not just used to fund the BBC, it is also used for other strategic public service objectives including broadband, local television and S4C.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
Timeline
| 27 Apr 2019 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 10 May 2019 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
21
Status
Rejected
Rejected
10 May 2019
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.