Government of Jersey

Decision around TV licences for the over 75s (FOI)

Produced by the Freedom of Information office
Authored by Government of Jersey on behalf of the States Greffe and published on 16 July 2015.
Prepared internally, no external costs.

Request

What I require is the dates and decisions made by the States in relation to the campaign and final outcome of Television Licences for the over Seventy Five’s living in Jersey.

Maybe I am wrong, but I believe that an extra tax was levied on the price of a pint of beer, to pay for free licences.

The minutes of the States relating to that period would be most helpful.

Response

Senator M.E. Vibert lodged an amendment to the Budget 2006 on 8 November 2005 in relation to the ‘provision of free television licences for those aged 75 and over living in domestic accommodation whose income is less that £20,720 for a married couple and £12,720 for a single person’.

The amendment sought to ‘increase the estimates of income from Indirect Taxation in order to fund the provision of free television licences…by adding the following amount to the Impôts: £300,000 to Impôts on beer so that the income rises from £4,590,000 to £4,890,000.'

The amendment was debated and adopted on the 30 November 2005. The following documents are attached for information:

(1) Budget 2006: Second Amendment (P266/2005) Lodged by Senator M.E. Vibert

Download budget 2006 second amendment (size 292KB)

(2) Minutes of the States Assembly from 30 November 2005

Download meeting minutes 30 November 2005 (size 262KB)

(3) Jersey Television Licence Scheme (R.12/2006): report by the minister for Social Security on the proposals and administrative arrangements for the scheme

Download television licence scheme report (size 174KB)

This response has been issued on behalf of the States Greffe. The States Greffe is responsible for the information held by (and on behalf of) both itself and the States Assembly. Neither the States Assembly nor the States Greffe form part of the Government of Jersey and the Government was not involved either in the examination and retrieval of any information required for this response, nor in the drafting of the response itself.