Yearly TV Licence? ...Really?

[Steve]

I stumbled across these articles on Google News UK -

-200,000 TV licence evaders caught-

"A total of 209,000 people have been caught during the past six months
for watching television without a license in the UK."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7517143.stm

-City's TV license shame poll rise-

"Belfast has moved up to number seven in the TV licensing "league of
shame", which shows towns and cities in the UK with the highest rates
of evasion."

-TV license fees around the world-

"The UK is not the only country which has a TV licence fee - about
two-thirds of European countries have one, or use an indirect charge
to fund their public TV stations."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6241013.stm


It seems you are required to pay a £139 ($279) annual fee for the
privilege of watching Television in the UK. And, all that money goes
to non-profit 'public' television.

Sound more like a tax scam than any actual legitimate need. 

If we assume a population of 60million and further assume that
represents $15million households, we have substantially over £2
billion in revenue collected. 

Sorry, but does public television in the UK really need TWO
BILLION POUNDS a year? (over US$4 Billion) 

I think if I were a citizen, I would want to know where that $4
billion was going. How much was administrative cost, and how much was
dedicated to actual programming. 

I mean this is $279 for a few public channels when I can get a few
hundred cable channels for $480/yr. Maybe I'm wrong, but that amount,
the TV license, seem completely out of balance.

Further the idea that if you have a TV, you pay whether you watch or not.

Can someone enlighten me?

Steve/bboyminn