Many people argue that it's unfair because it's compulsory to pay, but ask yourself how often you either watch a BBC programme, listen to a radio show funded by the BBC or take part in an event funded by the BBC. Whether people realise it or not, the BBC stretches our money far further than it would otherwise go.

You may say, "well the other channels offer the same sorts of services but don't charge anything". Well, this may be right on one level, but ask yourself whether you really want to spend a quarter of your time watching adverts. Also, do you really want to be watching programmes which are designed to make more money out of us, through competitions and phone-in services?

The BBC also offer unbiased news available through interactive services, online and through the news channel. The BBC makes up-to-date information available to all of us in one way or another, and their motives - because they have the money and therefore have no need to make any more out of us - lie purely in that they want to give us the best service available.

They also offer free events and festivals to allow the public to truely appreciate entertainment. Recent events include the Big Weekend and the various radio shows that audiences can go to for free.

They pay their employees fair wages out of the money they receive, as they believe everyone deserves to be paid fairly. They offer an incredibly large range of work experience places, making sure that as many people as possible can realise the enjoyment behind entertainment.

So ask yourself this; if the BBC didn't charge us for these services, would you really want another advertisement-filled, biased television station, radio channels, website and events you had to pay for?

Nobody is forced to buy a television. If people choose that that is what they want to do then they have to pay the taxes that come with it.

The money that the BBC gets is used to fund top quality television. Although there are a few notable misses in everyone's personal tastes, programmes such as Doctor Who would not be able to be made. All the other big hits on British TV are all American imports. The USA can have big budget shows, because they can get big sponsors, something which Britain cannot achieve without funding such as the TV licence. I mean, 40p a day is not too much for 7 stations, plus radio broadcasts (which we get free anyway), and a brilliant internet service.

If the BBC was forced to compete commercially the programmes which attract a smaller audience share would be cancelled. This sounds like good business sense, but from a public service sense would be a real loss.

The BBC has always had a commitment to producing high quality educational programming and programmes that cater to minorities, and it can only do so because it is not dependant on viewing figures. Though not as many people watch the OU programmes, for example, those that do can find them incredibly valuable.

There's a lot of entertainment on TV, which is a good thing, but we shouldn't turn away from programmes that help us learn. For those who can't afford university or don't know where to start when confronted by a million reference books, a half-hour guide to an otherwise inaccessible subject can be a great starting point.