UK TV Tax changing

Colonial readers (on the western shore of The Pond) are scratching their heads - What on earth is a TV Tax?

Well, it's a tax levied on all UK residents in possession of a television set, designed to raise revenue to keep PBS' Masterpiece Theater in frock coat dramas. Thanks, UK*!

It's also fixin' to change. Now you'll be taxed if you have a TV or a computer:

The government is likely to change TV licensing laws to address the increasing number of viewers who choose to watch only via the internet, according to the BBC Trust.

In its review of TV licence collection (pdf) this week, the Trust said it was watching closely whether the availability of iPlayer and live streams of BBC channels was prompting households to abandon TV sets in favour of computers.

...

TV Licensing, the agency which enforces the law, is currently set up to deal with those avoiding paying to own a television. It works on the assumption that all households have a TV, and sends out officials to check up on those that do not have a licence. A spokesman said it had caught people watching TV online without a licence, but would not say how many.

Nanny says pay up, because she thinks you're watching. She sends snoops around to, well, snoop. I'd pay cash money to see something like that tried in Texas.

Here at Borepatch, we pride outselves as being a full-service blog. Therefore, for the benefit of both my UK readers, here's the latest must-have accessory for the Internet-age streamin' fool:
All the Cool Kids have them!

* Full disclosure: when we lived in the UK, we paid the stupid telly tax. It's like 10 quid a month, too.