Subject: Charity shops facing the music?

A recent Daily Telegraph report warns of the potential closure of hundreds of charity shops across the country due to a planned lifting of an exemption allowing them to play music instore at no cost.

According to the report, the new license fee of £81 could cause many marginally commercial charity shops to have to close  - costing the entire voluntary sector an estimated £20 million or more -

An undesirable alternative is one of music-free stores that would almost certainly see a decline in use.

NCVO have started the Don't Stop the Music campaign in order to fight the introduction of this extra cost.

What do you think about this?

• Should charities pay this fee just as other organisations have to, or should the exemption continue?
• Would music-free stores really cause such a drastic fall in usage?
• Would charities struggle to find staff if the working environment were to change in this way?