Wealthier might have to pay more for BBC - ex-chairman Richard Sharp

Wealthier households mightiness person to wage much for the BBC, erstwhile president Richard Sharp has suggested.

The licence interest strategy is "regressive", helium said, and could alternatively beryllium replaced by a taxation connected broadband bills oregon a household levy based connected spot value.

Mr Sharp resigned arsenic president of the BBC successful April.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, helium besides warned that whoever who took connected the occupation would person a "target" connected their back.

Mr Sharp stepped down aft breaking rules implicit dealings with the past Prime Minister Boris Johnson up of his appointment. Dame Elan Closs Stephens has since been appointed arsenic acting chairwoman of the BBC.

Speaking to the Chopper's Politics podcast, Mr Sharp said helium would beryllium successful favour of a "form of mandatory payment" similar the licence fee, but highlighted immoderate issues helium had with it.

"One is that it's regressive," helium said, meaning households connected little incomes "pay the aforesaid price" arsenic wealthier households. This "may request to beryllium addressed," helium added.

Asked if that meant determination could beryllium antithetic scales of the fee, linked to income, Mr Sharp pointed to antithetic models from astir the world. "There's a broadband tax, there's a household taxation and there's the licence fee," helium said.

Describing the licence interest arsenic "imperfect", helium said the absorption should beryllium connected whether determination is simply a "better system" and what disruption would beryllium caused by changing the existent one. "This is simply a statement for Parliament," helium told the Telegraph.

The ex-investment banker besides expressed interest that the enforcement of the licence interest meant women were disproportionately apt to beryllium prosecuted for non-payment.

Discussing his successor, Mr Sharp said they could beryllium a Conservative enactment donor, adding: "I don't deliberation the information that I had donated to the party, and I deliberation the past enactment donation was successful 2010, should person disqualified me."

During recruitment, the BBC needs to "assure themselves that the chairperson volition instrumentality arsenic a superior nonsubjective the spot of the BBC arsenic an autarkic organisation and should behave successful an impartial manner", helium said.

However, helium told the Telegraph the presumption is simply a "target" and whoever holds it is "vulnerable".

"When determination was a Labour-supporting chair, there's a target. It's a sufficiently important instauration that who ever is the seat is vulnerable," helium said.

Mr Sharp advised anyone trying to go his successor "to marque definite you and your household cognize what you're getting into".

This is due to the fact that determination has been an summation successful what helium calls "anger-tainment" quality sum which has led to "ad hominem attacks - just and unfair" to thrust postulation to quality websites.

Mr Sharp resigned from the BBC connected 28 April aft a study recovered helium had failed to disclose 2 "potential perceived" conflicts of involvement up of his appointment.

The archetypal was telling Mr Johnson - who was past premier curate - that helium wished to use for the relation earlier submitting his application.

The 2nd related to his engagement successful the facilitation of a indebtedness warrant for the erstwhile premier minister.

The study noted that Mr Sharp does not judge the archetypal conclusion, but helium has apologised for the second, though helium described it arsenic "entirely inadvertent".

The BBC has been approached for a comment.