[Dixielandjazz] Regarding U.K. taxation...time for another Revolution!!!

[Jazzjerry@aol.com]

Hi Art and others,

This is not a tax on anything stealth or otherwise. For many years in the UK 
if you wished to have public music singing or dancing then it was necessary 
to have a licence which used to be known as an MSD. It was to ensure that 
your premises were suitable for such activities and had basic health and 
safety and planning requirements. eg you were not supposed to have a busy 
music venue in a basement with onlly one exit or maybe not have a noisy dance 
hall next to a hospital with having noise transmission restrictions. Several 
years ago the old MSD was replaced by something called a 'Public 
Entertainment Licence' which covered all premises which intended to have live 
music. here have been many problems with this new PEL because the government 
(the previous Conservative one!) left it up to local authorities (Distric 
Councils) as to how to grant these licences. Some have used the granting of a 
licence as a means of getting revenue by charging very high fees for the 
necessary inspections and administration.

The new legislation is a change in this existing rules by including many 
other places in the licence requirements. For example if you put on a jazz 
band in the back room of a pub at the moment then you require a licence which 
guarantees certain safety features such as emergency lighting, number of 
exits, maximum number of customers etc. but if you put on a disco or karaoke 
or even a stripper removing her clothes to recorded music then the licence 
and relevenat safety requirements do not apply and you can pack people in 
like sardines!

To me the extention of safety requirements seems not a bad idea. I believe 
that the local authorities will stiil grant the licences but the terms and 
conditions together with the level of licence fees will be centrally 
determined instead of being left to each local Authority. The exact levels of 
the fees, who might be exempt from charges has yet to be decided and in fact 
the whole thing is only a Bill not an Act which means many changes can take 
place before it reaches the statute book.

Yes many new premises will come under the umbrella of the legislation 
including churches schools, etc. but only if they provide public 
entertainment as 'religious activities' are exempted. I cannot see why a 
church should not have to comply with safety rules if they decide to have a 
pop concert in the building.

No, this is not a taxation issue but one of health and safety for the public. 
There are plenty of points in the proposals which need to be changed but many 
of the points are good and should the whole thing get thrown out we will be 
left with the current situation which to be frank is a bloody awful mess.

Cheers,

Jerry,
Norwich, U.K.