To think putting vat on private healthcare when many people use it because the NHS won't treat them is monstrously cruel

I have reworded as it was not my intention to offend people who are genuinely worried.

Yes, we've used it so that we can continue to work. Saving the NHS money and maintaining our tax contributions too.

My SEN child would not be in school if we didn’t pay for private. She couldn’t cope. Her private school
bend over backwards to make accommodations for her - she has matrons and a counsellor on tap when she needs it, we don’t get fined if her absence level is high, if she can’t make it into school one day she can join lessons virtually or the teachers send all the work home. This is what she needs and the only way she can access education. State school would just fine us until we ended up home educating. She would then have less of an education, learn no social skills and I would have to give up my job. We barely scrape by paying her school fees - last week I skipped dinner 3 times so I could give what we had left in the fridge to the kids. I couldn’t afford a shop until payday this week. We aren’t rich and many, many parents paying for private education are in the same boat. I would never ever vote for Labour.

'Frothing' Pandora, is there any need to be so rude? Of course people who have been failed by the NHS are concerned about this.

@MyDownstairsLooisHaunted hypocrisy has nothing to do with. You target taxes where they will raise the most money and lose you the fewest votes (or even possibly gain votes such as with the tax on school fees).

I disagree. People are opting for private because the NHS waiting lists are so long. And not only rich people are using their life savings for operations.

Speculation is pointless. We all know the budget will be nasty, but worrying about rumours is a waste of energy. It keeps the Mail supplied with clicks, I suppose.

It's interesting that you mention that. Apparently one of the reasons why the treasury hasn't collected as much into the kitty this year as they expected from the sale of food, is that people are switching to zero rated food in an effort to cut their food budgets.

That isn’t a uniquely Labour thing, though, it’s been the case in all governments as far back as I can remember

If she's going to increase VAT should do remove the zero rating for food. That would raise a lot, its really hard to evade, and really gives the message of us all being in it together.

@Pharazon

There are a lot of things that weren't in the manifesto that seem to be coming to pass.

They pledged to 'not raise taxes for working people' but Rachel Reeves how now publicly rescinded that statement saying its on the table

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/sep/29/rachel-reeves-confirms-she-no-longer-stands-by-pledge-not-to-raise-taxes?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Widening the application of VAT to other goods and services is not scare mongering, its a progressive step in applying VAT across the board.

Just because its not in the manifesto means absolutely nothing. They will probably still bring it in because they are looking to raise revenue from all sources, so why should these be off the table? are they not also choices for those that can afford it?

It's hypocritical to just single out private schools as taxable choices but keep other choices off the table.

I meant VAT of course.

Christ, to think we've got two months of this sort of thing to go. Then we'll have a few months off before it all starts again ahead of the spring statement. Here are a few other things that Labour aren't doing but which the ill-informed might like to get in a froth about anyway:

• A tax on whistling
• Abolishing Wednesdays
• Free biscuits for trans cyclists
• Slaughter of the firstborn.

One of my clients had a load of their customers take tax-free cash from their pensions ahead of the last budget thanks to baseless press speculation. Caused a load of hassle when they were told they couldn't just pop the cash back in afterwards. But did the scaremongering press that lead them down that path or the moronic customers who believed it take a shred of responsibility? Nah course not, it was all the fault of my client for doing what their customers asked and following the law.

Ideologically there is a vast difference between charging fees on private schools and on universities. From a Marxist analysis perspective, private school parents are class enemies, and students are not.

Jumping an NHS queue for a private hysterectomy is the same as getting your SEND kid the private educational help they need. The only difference is one recipient is old enough to vote, the other isn’t. Or do you value kids less?

Exactly. It has the same logic as taking out a payday loan and then quitting your job.

It’s being floated by the Telegraph, Daily Mail and the Express. Not by any actual members of the government who categorically deny it. It’s just the usual press scare tactics: make up a story and force the government to deny it, therefore making people think there must have been some truth behind it all along.

Of course. When you hear that the Minister is probably already clearing their desk.

Labour relies/relied on growth.

The very presence of Labour stunts growth.

we’re fucked

Increasing the Jobs tax and cutting WFA weren't in the manifesto - but they did it anyway. But fundamentally there is very little difference between charging VAT on private school and charging vat on universities. There are both fee paying education.

Yep. And any ‘I have complete faith in..’ statement

I agree it would be odd. But equally are all the other things they say one day and reverse the next. Last week changing ILR was racist, this week its policy.

lol at healthcare being a luxury.

was my mum’s private hysterectomy a luxury 🤣

Private healthcare should have VAT added, it’s a luxury not everyone can afford.
Just like private schools. If you agree with VAT on them, you have to agree with VAT on this.

Well I wasn't gleeful about the vat increases on private schooling. I did kind of expect it though, they'd been gunning for this a long time in opposition.

I am quite surprised this is being floated. They'll pay a bigger penalty for this with the general public.

If they go through with this, then I'll add it to the i.d. card policy as evidence that they have given up on getting another term and have decided to use their time left to inflict as much ideological damage as they can in the years which remain.