France scraps licence fee – will UK follow suit?
John Salt is entitled to think that £159 for the licence fee is of “immense value to all of us” (Letters, Issue 638), but that doesn’t alter the fact that the success of other streaming services has left it feeling outdated. There’s no point fighting the reality that the principle of a licence fee is now being seen as an unfair ‘tax’ on viewers.
It’s not just many in the UK who think this. France for example has just voted to scrap its equivalent of the licence fee, with President Macron saying the move will help fight the cost of living. French citizens will now save €138 (about £117) a year. Some will point out that this isn’t a fortune, and they’d be right. So I doubt the money-saving incentive is the real reason it’s being ditched. Instead, the French authorities are ideologically opposed to it. It’s a bold move, but I doubt our own leaders will have the vision to follow suit.
Jean Dubois
