The Police and Crime Commissioner for Staffordshire, Matthew Ellis has spoken out about ‘a backdoor tax’ that is ripping off public services.
His comments follow national media coverage over the weekend around charges made to police forces for licenses so staff can listen to music.
Speaking on YouTube today he has expressed his anger that public services are subject to license charges from The Performing Right Society (PRS) and Phonographic Performance Ltd (PPL).
Describing it as a blunt instrument that is costing Staffordshire Police a significant amount of money, he said:
“This is a strange scenario, it’s ‘rip off public services’ at its best and whilst I recognise the rules on music royalties, police officers do not spend a vast amount of time listening to music. The way the charges are calculated it’s more like a tax.
“I want every penny possible to go to front line policing. Work is now underway to reduce to an absolute minimum the amount of money paid on what I would call a backdoor tax.
“To say I’m bewildered and angry by this is an understatement.”
