Today I learned

[renz20003]

People in the U.K. and I assume a few other countries, have to pay for over the air broadcast TV.

 

[LikeLinus]

Pretty sure you are wrong. I'll let someone in the U.K. verify though.

https://www.freeview.co.uk/support/...oes-freeview-hd-cost.html#2QdiFCtSzz8h1sjs.97

This is the channels
https://www.freeview.co.uk/why-freeview/freeview-hd#imJLbVQt3zstj0h6.97

 

[renz20003]

Pretty sure you are wrong. I'll let someone in the U.K. verify though.

https://www.freeview.co.uk/support/...oes-freeview-hd-cost.html#2QdiFCtSzz8h1sjs.97

This is the channels
https://www.freeview.co.uk/why-freeview/freeview-hd#imJLbVQt3zstj0h6.97

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_licensing_in_the_United_Kingdom

 

[brianmanahan]

LiTeRaLlY cOmMuNiSm

 

[Skunk-Works]

If you think that's wild, check this out! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV_detector_van

 

[Skunk-Works]

Makes one have to wonder if they have commercials on top of that crap. Good thing we won the Revolution!

 

[Carson Dyle]

You think that's strange? Get this: In most areas of the US, if you rent a home, you pay no taxes to the local school district, even if you happened to have 12 kids attending school. But if you own a home, and you've never even had children, you pay property taxes to fund schools.

 

[Skunk-Works]

You think that's strange? Get this: In most areas of the US, if you rent a home, you pay no taxes to the local school district, even if you happened to have 12 kids attending school. But if you own a home, and you'd never had children, you pay property taxes to fund schools.

Now that, I did not know.

 

[IronWing]

You think that's strange? Get this: In most areas of the US, if you rent a home, you pay no taxes to the local school district, even if you happened to have 12 kids attending school. But if you own a home, and you'd never had children, you pay property taxes to fund schools.

You pay the taxes as part of your rent. In many locales, the tax rate on rental properties is higher than for owner-occupied housing.

 

[Skunk-Works]

Books!

 

[Carson Dyle]

You pay the taxes as part of your rent.

In theory.

Is it based on the number of kids you have in school? No. Do you pay less rent if you're 50 and have never had a child? No.

 

[renz20003]

You think that's strange? Get this: In most areas of the US, if you rent a home, you pay no taxes to the local school district, even if you happened to have 12 kids attending school. But if you own a home, and you've never even had children, you pay property taxes to fund schools.

This isn't similar elsewhere?

Back to the paid broadcast tv... it explains why they use advanced profanity, show nudity and have minimal advertising.

 

[Skunk-Works]

 

[pete6032]

In theory.

Is it based on the number of kids you have in school? No. Do you pay less rent if you're 50 and have never had a child? No.

Paying for something that benefits everyone, it's called being part of society.

I don't drive on 99% of the streets in my city but I am happy to pay taxes to pave and maintain them.

 

[Skunk-Works]

I've never been to jail! I'm not paying! LOL

 

[brianmanahan]

You think that's strange? Get this: In most areas of the US, if you rent a home, you pay no taxes to the local school district, even if you happened to have 12 kids attending school. But if you own a home, and you've never even had children, you pay property taxes to fund schools.

luckily in ohio, local school district taxes are charged both for where you work AND where you live. even if you rent where you live.

so even though i don't have kids, i am paying freakin %3.5 local income tax for schools. that's separate from state taxes and property taxes.

 

[Red Squirrel]

How would that even work? I guess it uses a similar protocol as satellite TV and you need to get a receiver for it? I guess I could see that, could even use the exact same protocol, instead of pointing your dish at a satellite you just point it at a tower.

 

[Skunk-Works]

instead of pointing your dish at a satellite you just point it at a tower.

Well, I think you just described terrestrial broadcast. LOL Works the same with radio.

 

[shortylickens]

I hate that having kids gives you a tax break, so people without kids pay more and end up having a bigger impact on the public schools cuz of it.

BUT, those same people are ignored when they try to demand higher standards for public education!

Fucks!

 

[Red Squirrel]

I was actually thinking about that the other day, it seems the system is really designed for couples with kids. There's all sorts of programs and tax breaks if you are married and have kids. If you are single, then F you! Even things like municipal taxes and related costs. For water/sewer rates here it's not based on the number of people, but number of rooms. According to my bill I have 5 rooms, because for that particular purpose they also count rooms that are normally not counted as rooms. I think kitchen and living room count as rooms in this context. So I pay as much as someone who has 3-4 kids and possibly even a pool. How does that even make sense. At very least they should base it on the number of people, using census data. That would make too much sense though.

 

[Pulsar]

In theory.

Is it based on the number of kids you have in school? No. Do you pay less rent if you're 50 and have never had a child? No.

Kinda necessary. There's a twofold problem. First, schools are f'in expensive. While you may not DIRECTLY have a benefit of schools in your area, I can guarantee that your entire area (unless you're in one of those special areas....) reaps the benefit of not having thousands of non-educated little ankle biters looking for jobs.

Next - doing it based on income or sales tax makes it very volatile. In the past, property taxes were pretty consistent. Volatility makes a budget very hard to manage. Of course, the no-cost lending has made housing almost as risky as other ventures... so.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Kinda necessary. There's a twofold problem. First, schools are f'in expensive. While you may not DIRECTLY have a benefit of schools in your area, I can guarantee that your entire area (unless you're in one of those special areas....) reaps the benefit of not having thousands of non-educated little ankle biters looking for jobs.

Next - doing it based on income or sales tax makes it very volatile. In the past, property taxes were pretty consistent. Volatility makes a budget very hard to manage. Of course, the no-cost lending has made housing almost as risky as other ventures... so.

My area benefits in that they have a Do Not Ask policy and >12% of the student body is made up of a demographic in which it is estimated half are illegals living in the county. So yeah, those benefit greatly! But considering the decline in the school system's rating (compared to those around it) while the march of increasing taxation continues the ROI seems smaller to everyone, and even smaller to those like me without children.

In fact, compared to graduation stats for my county's school system I should be getting free lawn care service by those failing high school, but instead they hang out in mass at the local movie house, shopping mall, etc. so I guess the benefit there is ... there AIN'T none!

 

[BarkingGhostar]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_licensing_in_the_United_Kingdom

Also keep in mind the quality of the programming and most certainly the quality in the technical delivery was much better in the UK than the USA for analog OTA. For instance, 540 lines vs. 480. And we paid for OTA in different ways. Anyone remember Texaco Star Theater, which Texaco is now known as Chevron. Imagine the first high successful OTA show on America was sponsored by a gasoline company.