[accountoftheday]

Watching any live TV in the UK, even when avoiding all BBC channels, is subject to this mandatory payment. Hence it is, by any reasonable definition, a tax.

[DanBC]

So it's a voluntary charge, payable by anyone who receives live tv in the UK? Collected by Capita, and paid to the BBC but not to the government?

Call it tax-like, but it is not a tax, and mistaken terminology is unhelpful when campaigning to change the licence fee.

[accountoftheday]

In that sense VAT is also a voluntary charge. You can avoid it by eating nothing.

[DanBC]

Lots of food is VAT free or zero rated.

The real difference between VAT and the TV licence is that VAT goes to the government via the Inland Revenue (?), while the TV licence goes to the BBC via Capita. Because it doesn't go to the government it's not a tax. I've already said it's tax-like.