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

VAT on private schools was in the manifesto and clearly people who voted in the government were ok with that, or at least it wasn’t a deal breaker.

VAT on higher education and private health were not in the manifesto and have never been on the agenda other than that of rumour-spreaders such as yourself. No-one ‘saw this coming’ because it’s not going to happen other than in people’s imaginations.

We have to for our DD because the NHS has no expertise of how to treat her chronic illness!

There are lots of self pay private healthcare patients. What about all the old folk who are self paying for various hip/knee replacements because of the nhs waitlists?

Is that happening? I thought not? Not sure about the 'cruel' bit - I have private health through work - as many do - and they can more than afford the mythical VAT. I only used it once for something fairly routine at the suggestion of a colleague and wish I hadn't have bothered! The paperwork and exemptions and co-pays and whatever were all so stressful and I ended up paying money towards something that the NHS would have taken care of just fine. Idiot me.

ASD parent here paying for private school (+VAT). No one gave a shit about us when it didn’t affect them. Now their granny might get charged VAT when she jumps the queue for a hip replacement and all hell breaks loose!

Taxes on digital services would be great, only the UK has been warned off doing this by Trump and Musk. I can’t see us going up against them.

Of course they will do this.

Started with VAT on school fees.

Then VAT on private healthcare.

VAT on university fees next maybe?

Once you open the door then it's hard to justify not applying it across the board.

Did people really not see this coming? I guess a lot of people were gleefully celebrating private school fees going up they didn't stop to consider the big picture and what would come next.

I moved my child to mainstream private on the verbal recommendation of many exasperated staff members who could not prevent many children beating up my socially awkward ASD child. Could I have got the LEA (Scotland)to fund it? It would have taken about 3 years. 3 years of my child either going to school every day and being assaulted, coming home and self harming, or me giving up my job for 3 years and home educating, isolating my child from all friends.

What you going to do? What as a parent would you choose? Because until you as a parent are in the situation of making this sad choice, you have no idea.

Why? My autistic dc’s education was apparently fair game for VAT? So why not this as well?

It will be outrageous if they do this. Is it being talked about? I fucking hope not.

I paid for private education because my child is autistic. Most people on here didn’t care at all when Reeves slapped VAT on that, happy to label me an elitist etc.

So I’m wondering why I should give a shit if VAT is slapped on private healthcare.

And yes, we’ve had to use private healthcare in desperation to get my mum a hysterectomy.

But since nobody gave a shit about my autistic dc’s education, don’t expect me to give any shits how Reeves hurts anyone else.

Bitter.

And that’s how the UK goes down the drain.

Maybe this is one of those policies that they float to the horror of the electorate to make the actual tax hikes look more palatable?

Or they could be mad?

It comes to something when you look at the government of the day and you think the likely answer is the latter.

That's absolutely not the case here and is an assumption many people make. It is simply not the case in all counties and is different across the country.

Even just getting an ECHP is a huge challenge for many and takes many years of pushing and challenging. In the meantime kids are left to be marginalised in mainstream school whilst they wait and you're left dealing with the academic and psychological fall out from that. One family I know had to wait 3 years to get an ECHP.

In my DSs class, over 50% of the kids have a SEN requirement and the parents are scraping the fees together to keep them there. Parents were trying to get the local council to fund their places at private school but they refused and said provision could be made to support them in mainstream education. They lasted about 6 months before they had to pull their child out as their mental health was deteriorating and the teachers didn't know or didn't want to know how best to support them.

If this is being considered they’re mad. They’ve lost it pretty much.

That’s unfair. I pay for both because a) I can afford it and b) I felt they were the best options for my both my childrens’ education and also my health when I needed surgery for something which had a long NHS waiting-list.

It doesn’t mean I look down on anyone who can’t afford them.

It would be very odd for the health minister to be saying this weeks before the budget, if they’re going to introduce it.

Here's Reeves saying she wouldn't back track on wfa cuts.

https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/reeves-starmer-not-budging-winter-fuel-despite-threatened-labour-rebellion?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Putting VAT on private schools was a silly, ideological thing to do - it hasn't raised much money and it's just caused more resentment. Labour need the wealthy middle class vote. Putting VAT on private health would be similar.

We do need to extend VAT, though - I'd like to see a much higher level VAT on luxury digital services, e.g. Netflix, Amazon, Apple, etc. alongside increased business rates for these companies and a reduction in employer-NI for genuine UK based bricks and mortar companies.

Tell me you’ve never actually looked at this process without telling me you e never looked at this process. You are LAUGHABLY ill informed on this!!!

I mean - are you surprised? It’s Labour. What else did you think they would do - they tax, it’s what they do. But you know - give them a chance, they’re different, they’re for the people, they are who the people voted for etc etc etc. 🥴

In some countries you wont get medication for obesity because in the majority of cases it can be reversed by changing lifestyle and eating habits

Or when they send nearly everyone out to say the Deputy Prime Minister had the full backing of the PM, or when all the Ministers had to say that the US ambassador had the full backing of the PM. These days a minister saying some categorically won't happen, is pretty much a prediction for the future.

Like that time they sent out the the safeguarding minister to say there'd be no grooming gang enquiry?

I'm not saying he doesn't believe it. It just don't think he would know. How can he if the Chancellor has no idea what she will do to pay for her spending.

Most people I know pay for private healthcare as they can't take the pain any more, can't cope with not being able see (and therefore not leave the house) or have exhausted the NHS possibilities. Nothing to do with elitism.
There are also people who pay so they take less time off work and can keep their businesses going and keep people employed.

Freedom from pain and working for a living aren't luxuries.