Cost of BBC

The BBC has agreed to take over responsibility for funding TV 
licences for the over-75s (your report, 11 July)

James Heath, the BBC director of policy, said that this move would “reduce the BBC’s income by £725 million” a year and suggested that the over-75s might like to voluntarily pay for a 
licence to plug this hole.

The BBC is overstaffed and many of its highly paid executives would never survive in private industry.

Its “stars” are paid more in a year than most people earn in a lifetime.

For years many of these “stars”, and others, have avoided tax by having their fees put into limited companies which only pay corporation tax of 20 per cent instead of the highest personal rate.

A cull of personnel and programmes is long overdue.

Mr Heath, and those over £100,000 a year, should lead by example and voluntarily reduce their salaries by at least 5 per cent.

Clark Cross

Springfield Road

Linlithgow