Chris Titley's article (January 25) justifying the TV licence fee missed some important considerations, but he did include the fact that some people are imprisoned for non-payment. More than 5,000 were prosecuted in Yorkshire last year for not having a licence.

Roughly, the fee (tax) brings in £2 billion a year. Households pay the same fee regardless of income, two or more adults in one household will pay the same fee as a household having a sole low income earner with children.

Only the UK imposes this unfair tax. It is not required as good television programmes are produced world wide. Could the BBC be given the Lottery to run as a source of income and be combined with the Royal Mail so the fee would be paid for by income from postal charges? No more prosecutions, no fees and paperwork for 20 million households, no imprisonments, no spy vans - a better and fairer Britain in short.

Colin F Clarke,

The Crescent,

Stamford Bridge,

York.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.