TAX ON TALL KIDS

[Momo123]

AIBU- its time for kitting kids out with new clobber for new school year! My DS is 14 years old so he's on permanent growth spurt measuring 5'10" tall of slim build. He has autism & other learning disabilities therefore goes to a special school. I like him to have logoed school uniform as he does does lots of life skilled based learning which means he's out & about a lot with school & heaven forbid If ever he was to become separated from his group in a crowd he he will be easily identified by his school logo! So I just ordered his school uniform from famous school shop w/s - total cost of his uniform came to approx £79 approx but as I've had to order adult sizes & bill went up to£95 with £15 VAT! He's still 14yrs old so still a child and think it's unfair that we have to pay more for uniform:( We can't help his genetic growth! Does anyone else feel the same way?

Its the age not the size. There is no VAT on clothes for young children and HMRC has decided young stops at 14.

Problem is .... there are plenty of kids who are younger than 14 but who need to wear age 14,15, 16 clothes - or even adult sizes. My daughter is one of them - very tall for her age rather than overweight - and no way would she, at 11, fit into a so-called aged 11 garment without looking ridiculous and feeling very uncomfortable.

It really pisses me off - but I don't know what the answer is. I used to fondly imagine a system where, if accompanied by your child, and some sort of proof of age, you'd get the VAT deducted from any clothing you were buying for them. But of course, that system would be open to abuse as the powers-that-be would have no way of ensuring your purchases would actually be worn by the child once you left the shop.

Oh - and same goes for shoes too of course. My daughter is the same size as me, and her feet are still growing. I have no choice but to buy adult shoes which will almost certainly be rendered useless within the year - and no, it's not a case of her passing them on to me, because, despite everything, she is still a child and I therefore try hard to buy clothes and shoes which are age appropriate (even if technically 'adult') and aren't the sort of thing I'd want to wear.

It's one of those things. I've paid VAT on 'children's' shoes for a long time because both of mine have large feet - my youngest has another year at primary school and is a size 8 1/2 so I've probably paid VAT for ages on his shoes.

Well it galls me when I have to do the same for my DD....it's life. Clothes for older kids or adults need to use more fabric. It's not tax...it's material.

My 11 year old is in size 7 shoes, once you're over size 5.5 in boys shoes you're a man apparently. I'm dreading his brother though as he is bigger than his brother was at the same age so I expect he'll be in men's shoes by about 9!

I do think there should be a tax-exemption on school uniform. Yes.

There should be some sort of card you can show when buying stuff for that child to get the VAT exemption.

I have the same problem, I have three very tall DC. DC1 is 12 and has been in adults clothes for over a year now, size 8 feet.

I guess they won't do this because they'd have to charge adults who can get away with children's sizes the VAT.

I have had this with all of my three DDs.

I am a short-arse, but they have a tall Dad. All needed adult sized clothes from around age 11 onwards.

It gets pricey. Would be nice if the VAT could be reclaimed for under 14s.

Shops would end up asking for child benefit letters, as people of reduced stature would be able to buy cheap cloths in child sizes.

I don't see why there can't be an exemption on school uniform. I mean, I understand why say a 6 ft 14 year old would need to buy adult size clothing, so you still want the tax on that (well actually no, but let's assume we all do!) but an adult isn't going to buy school uniform! Especially the overpriced branded stuff - in what way is that fair?!

As a person of "reduced stature" I can assure you I wouldn't be buying gingham dresses or school blazers to wear myself no matter how cheap they were .........

Oh I don't know Saucy, I'm quite partial to the yellow ones myself

Yanbu. Really fucking annoys me. Dd is 11 and 5'6. She's always needed a few years older in clothes size for height, since age 8 though when the teen sizes got so wide they were unwearable, I've been increasingly annoyed with extra cost. Now an adult size 4 is the closest fit, age 15 isn't always long enough in the leg but yet is wider than a size 4. And size 5 feet. With id you should get vat off clothes for tall kids if they aren't making children's sizes for tall slim ones.
Although might as well get used to it, height is penalised for clothes shopping right through life.

It works the other way too, alas. I have tiny girls and ED was walking early: nursery wouldn't let her go outside with the others in sock feet so we ended up having to have shoes made for her. Those tiny first shoes cost more than her Y7 school uniform, including all shoes and sports kit.

It annoys me too. DS was wearing a size 9 shoe at age 11 and my other DS was wearing men size clothing at age 13 and men sized shoes at age 10.

My age 11 DS is wearing age 14 clothes and size 7 shoes, and just spent nearly £250 buying new logo'd uniform for him this week! And thats before we get his shoes and trainers etc

Thanks for the replies- I was sure I wasn't the only one! I agree with PPs all school uniform should be exempt from VAT; school uniform is not a luxury for growing kids!

Why do they sell adult size school uniform ?

Logoed school uniform should be exempt - I didn't realise that it wasn't.

My biggest expense for my 14 year old is shoes. School shoes and trainers for P.E.(which he'll lose in a few weeks and I'll have to replace) cost a blinking fortune.

My Ds is only 8 but yes very tall so I expect to be paying vat on his clothes long before his peers..I agree school uniform shoul be exempt

I've got the opposite problem. I'm having to have a blazer & trousers specially made to measure for ds who starts Year 7 in September but wears age 7-8 clothes.

My Mum used to grumble about this with my school shoes and my hobbit feet. Seems my sons are similarly inclined. I just forked out nearly £100 on school shoes - in another year or so, it will be that +20% and I reckon they'll both be in specialist shoe sizes around puberty. about having to rein in my own shoe budget.

It's luck of the draw.

My daughters may well never grow out of children's clothes and shoes. I haven't. (not that I buy them all the time obviously, but sometimes I do.)

That's a plus point. But there are plenty of bad things about being tiny too.

Dull tax rules:

It cannot be made exempt unless the European Union agrees it - that's never going to happen. Most EU countries charge Vat on children's clothes and are happy to do this.

The UK cannot bring any larger clothing into the zero rate vat rules. The current rules were agreed in 1973 when UK joined what is now the EU, and the UK cannot extend these rules, only restrict them if they choose to.

If you want to start lobbying, the only possible chance of success you could have would be to campaign to bring vat down to 5% on branded larger size school uniform. Unbranded shirts, skirts, trousers and shoes wouldn't be included as would be open to widespread abuse. However, - and it is a possibility - this type of campaign could end up with the government in power making ALL branded uniform 5% vat to avoid confusion for the industry, meaning the current zero rate on smaller sized branded school uniform is abandoned.

On balance, I think the current system, despite its flaws, is the least worst option so I am going to say with a heavy heart, yabu.

And for the record, yes, I am an absolute hoot at dinner parties