Previously, when I looked, the BBC stated that they received a substantial sum from direct taxation in addition to the license fee. On that basis you pay in part and the BBC is funded [partially] by tax payers. IIRC it amounted to about 5% of the take from license fee payers.
"Grants from Government departments
For the year ended 31 March 2014, the BBC World Service
received Grant-in-Aid from the Foreign & Commonwealth
Office. Previously, BBC Monitoring also received a grant from
the Cabinet Office. These grants have been drawn down to
meet estimated expenditure in the year but unspent amounts
do not have to be repaid, as long as they fall within
predetermined limits. The grants are recognised as income in
the financial year that they relate to."
Very minor nitpick: you should say "consume live broadcast TV" as blind people don't watch but still have to pay.
Has this changed in the last 2 years?
Previously, when I looked, the BBC stated that they received a substantial sum from direct taxation in addition to the license fee. On that basis you pay in part and the BBC is funded [partially] by tax payers. IIRC it amounted to about 5% of the take from license fee payers.
Ah, decided to track it down ... http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/annualreport/pdf/2014-15/BBC-FS-2..., p.34 - "grant-in-aid" funding £243.6 Million up to March 2015 (6.5% of the license fee income).
However it looks like this has stopped in 2015:
"Grants from Government departments For the year ended 31 March 2014, the BBC World Service received Grant-in-Aid from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. Previously, BBC Monitoring also received a grant from the Cabinet Office. These grants have been drawn down to meet estimated expenditure in the year but unspent amounts do not have to be repaid, as long as they fall within predetermined limits. The grants are recognised as income in the financial year that they relate to."
Very minor nitpick: you should say "consume live broadcast TV" as blind people don't watch but still have to pay.