Tories oppose BBC streaming tax

The Conservative Party has attacked Labour's proposal to extend the TV licence fee to streaming services including YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ and Apple TV.

Millions more would pay licence fee

An extra three to four million households would have to pay the licence fee if it is extended to streaming services, according to estimates.

BBC faces mounting financial pressure

The BBC has cut one hundred editorial jobs amid budget shortfalls and recorded an operating deficit of one hundred twenty-one million pounds for twenty twenty-five to twenty twenty-six.

Licence fee holders abandoning BBC

Research from the Office for Budget Responsibility estimates three in ten current licence fee holders, one point six million households, will have stopped paying by the end of the decade.

Hollinrake calls plan wholly unfair

Conservative chairman Kevin Hollinrake MP said the YouTube tax is a penalty for boycotting the BBC and that people should not be forced to fund it for watching other services.

“It is wholly unfair for the government to force people who don't even watch live TV to pay the licence fee.”

Labour plans to fund local journalism

Sources told The Independent that ministers want money from extending the licence fee to streaming services used to revive local journalism and counter disinformation that has helped parties like Reform.

Charter review to decide BBC's future

The streaming tax plan would be part of the BBC Charter review in a white paper published before Christmas. The current royal charter is set to end in December twenty twenty-seven.