it's daft to think parents with kids in private school have money to burn?

[Popgoestheweaselagain]

Just got asked by my school what would be the impact if they had to pay VAT, adding 20% to fees. My response was 'I'd try to keep my child in the school, but ....'. I think almost all parents would respond this way. Alarmed, did a quick google, and found this is Labour policy. Next time they come knocking at my door looking for my vote, I'll be telling them why they can't have it!

Now, I understand why some people are ideologically opposed to private schools, the unfariness etc. But when I hear this argument that goes something like 'Those people must have loads of money because they send their kids to private school' it kind of annoys me. Money is finite. If you've spent all your money on school fees, you obviously don't have it anymore!

My DS has additional needs and goes to a private school that specialises in his specific issues, it is a main stream school though. We can only afford to send him as we lost a family member young so had an inheritance so paid off our pretty small mortgage. We definitely don't have money to burn and couldn't afford and additional 20%, fees have gone up nearly 9% this year due to utility bills amongst other things so if this was to happen we'd have to pull DS out. He is Y10 so hopefully this won't happen in his time at school anyway but he would probably end up failing most of his exams if he did have to move.

I don't think there should be private schools at all in an ideal world with perhaps the exception of boarding schools (for armed forces children etc). Its a real postcode lottery for decent schools that can provide good support but no one who lives in a decent school area would have a clue about this and on MN most will refuse to believe this/listen.

Why should they have a right to a free higher education? Why should everyone else pay for your luxury - its just an option. Your choice to go to university gives you an advantage just like a private education (apparently).

Totally unfair for everyone else to be forced to pay for your luxury option of going to university. You dont have to go to university - that is a luxury, its not fair on those who dont go.

University should be free. So those who want and are able can go. We shouldn't make it more difficult for poorer students to access higher education.

@ancientgran
Maybe if the wealthy and articulate couldn't get their kids into private school they would do more to help improve the state schools.

Isn’t this quite patronising to state school parents? So you think the ‘wealthy and articulate’ are some sort of superhumans who can work miracles on state schools? Whereas the state school parents are incompetent and incapable of making improvements?
There have been several posters on this thread saying how rich they are but they won’t educate their children privately on principal.
What about these principled millionaires? Are they not wealthy and articulate?Do you think they are capable of changing the schools for the better

Higher education isn't a luxury in the same way private schooling is. There isn't a free alternative for one. And there is genuine societal benefit in people taking it (e.g. how are you going to get by with no doctors or engineers or nurses).

Why should it be free for those want to go? Why should everyone else pay for the privilege of those who go to university? University education is a luxury not a right.

If it was free then the government would need to reintroduce the cap on places.

This!!

we have a normal income , 2 of us working full time. We’ve just sent ours to a private school to escape bullying in state and it’s such a bloody squeeze. Luckily the school kitted us out with second hand uniform but it means no holidays or other luxuries for us. Paying even more would make it impossible.

Christ, imagine having enough money to send your kids to private school, but still feeling sorry for yourself in this climate.

@Dorisbonson
And this:

"Totally unfair for everyone else to be forced to pay for your luxury option of going to university. You dont have to go to university - that is a luxury, its not fair on those who dont go."

Doesn't make sense. That's like saying its unfair on me that your 3rd birth got paid for, when I only had two childrne. Do you should have to pay for the third.

Private education is a luxury.

I don't think education is ever a luxury. You don't pay VAT on bread, no matter how fancy the bread is. (Surely if people can afford £4 a loaf for artisan bread, they should be able to pay VAT on it?) Conversely, you pay VAT on all chocolate biscuits, even tesco value.

You don't have to pay VAT on private medical procedures unless they're deemed to be purely cosmetic.

Surely the government can't try and claim that decent education is a luxury rather than a right, because that would mean them admitting that state school is not a decent education!

A birth isnt an option is it though. A university education is clearly a choice.

Or they could expand provision so more people could go if they wanted. Imagine that, everyone accessing higher education if they wanted to. For free too. Like in lots of scandinavian countries incidentally.....

If you send your kids private and don’t have loads of spare money left over then you’re a fool IMO. It absolutely infuriates me that these are the issues people will vote on - pure bloody greed and self interest, when there are so many real problems to tackle that require your priorities to be slightly broader than simply cosseting your own offspring.

Well, having a third child would be an option for most. Maybe you can get it for free if it was contraceptive failure...

Aw what a shame

And have you thought about the impact on class sizes in state schools, if many of those parents can't afford that 20% increase @LivingMyBestLie ?

Education isn't. That's why it's freely available to all children. Private education however is a luxury that only the rich can afford and as such should be taxed IMO.

I think it's really, really fanciful to suggest that putting VAT on school fees would cost the government money.

Average private school fees are, what, c£16k per head year. 20% VAT on them would bring in c£3200 per head.

It costs c£8k per head per year to put a child through state school.

So you'd need to see fully 40% of private school kids joining the state sector [whether through dropping out individually or through their schools closing] for charging VAT to make the state worse off. 40% feels like a fairly extraordinary assumption to me. Any data that I've ever seen on the subject shows that the average [not marginal] private school parent is very well heeled indeed.

The likeliest scenario by far would be a very modest drop-out rate, a very modest increase in average private sector class size/other investment/profits an overall hefty net benefit to exchequer.

Anyone here ideologically opposed to private healthcare as well? Think our NHS lists should balloon to include all those who are paying for support and help from doctors?

I can understand differing views on VAT etc but I cannot understand why private schooling could be considered immoral.

if I were in charge private school fees would be exempt from VAT and corporate tax up to the level of average per pupil state school funding - that is the amount surely that education costs.

i’d remove charitable status. As well as the tax exemptions it also allows private schools to claim gift aid on donations. So tax payers are actually sending money to private schools…

Yeah, that's the thing. Screw the economy and all the people who will suffer, as I will have to pay an additional 20% of the huge amount I already can afford becuase I simply can't bear that my little darlings mix with the commoners...

we have a normal income , 2 of us working full time. We’ve just sent ours to a private school to escape bullying in state and it’s such a bloody squeeze. Luckily the school kitted us out with second hand uniform but it means no holidays or other luxuries for us. Paying even more would make it impossible.

I am sorry your children were bullied.
If you can’t afford private you could instead move your children to a different state school. Private schools do not mean no bullying.

I'm struggling to feel sorry for people horrified at the thought of their children having to slum it at the local school with the plebs because they can't afford to pay the fees with VAT.