...for breaking TV Licence rules
Watch out for watching the World Cup in your office - your company could be fined!
Workers who watch the World Cup in the office could land their boss with a fine of up to ?1,000, experts warned yesterday.
The long-awaited football tournament kicks off today in South Africa, and millions of workers are expected to watch the games on their computers at work, and hope that the boss does not notice.
But a report published today warns they could be breaking the law.
This is because a TV Licence is required to watch live football even on a computer, with a colour licence costing ?145.50.
You do not need a licence to watch TV repeats on a computer, but you do need one if you are using it for live television, such as the World Cup games via the BBC and ITV websites.
So workers who are watching the action in an office that does not have a TV, and therefore probably does not have a TV licence, could land there company with a hefty fine.
Research from the Federation of Small Businesses warns that about a third of bosses have no idea of the rules.
Mike Cherry, FSB policy chairman, said a 'worrying number' of firms risk being fined. He said: 'It is imperative that all those small firms that are going to let their staff watch the game are on the ball, and ensure they are fully licensed.'
There is one option to help workers whose bosses do not have a TV licence.
If you watch live football on your own laptop in the office, you are covered by the TV licence for your home.
But you will need a laptop battery which lasts for at least the duration of the game, because if you plug in the laptop to charge it, your home TV licence no longer applies.
This is because the authorities believe that you have 'installed' your laptop into the office, therefore still requiring that the company's premises is licensed.
Latest figures show that 160,000 people were fined up to ?1,000 for failing to have the correct licence during the 2008/09 tax year.
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...nce-rules.html
Watch out for watching the World Cup in your office - your company could be fined!Workers who watch the World Cup in the office could land their boss with a fine of up to ?1,000, experts warned yesterday.
The long-awaited football tournament kicks off today in South Africa, and millions of workers are expected to watch the games on their computers at work, and hope that the boss does not notice.
But a report published today warns they could be breaking the law.
This is because a TV Licence is required to watch live football even on a computer, with a colour licence costing ?145.50.
You do not need a licence to watch TV repeats on a computer, but you do need one if you are using it for live television, such as the World Cup games via the BBC and ITV websites.
So workers who are watching the action in an office that does not have a TV, and therefore probably does not have a TV licence, could land there company with a hefty fine.
Research from the Federation of Small Businesses warns that about a third of bosses have no idea of the rules.
Mike Cherry, FSB policy chairman, said a 'worrying number' of firms risk being fined. He said: 'It is imperative that all those small firms that are going to let their staff watch the game are on the ball, and ensure they are fully licensed.'
There is one option to help workers whose bosses do not have a TV licence.
If you watch live football on your own laptop in the office, you are covered by the TV licence for your home.
But you will need a laptop battery which lasts for at least the duration of the game, because if you plug in the laptop to charge it, your home TV licence no longer applies.
This is because the authorities believe that you have 'installed' your laptop into the office, therefore still requiring that the company's premises is licensed.
Latest figures show that 160,000 people were fined up to ?1,000 for failing to have the correct licence during the 2008/09 tax year.
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...nce-rules.html
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