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!

@WaddleAway yep understandably there are much more expensive schools

I thought it was an interesting comparison because it's probably just as accurate to assume that because someone has a preschooler in formal childcare they've got "money to burn". Locally here that would be more accurate!

Labour would have to properly think this policy through - it's likely to tip the balance for a lot of parents to withdraw from private schools

Great. More upper middle-class, aspirational students using the state system will be better for social mobility.

and is the state system ready for that?

The state system is utterly fucked. If that bothers you enough to impact your vote, you already vote Labour or SNP (or feel you can't and are doing some kind of protest vote).

So it's actually much more affordable to have a child in private school than to have a toddler in nursery.

No, plus private school isn't generally funded or subsidised by the government as it currently is for you. Generally speaking. I'm not including vocational boarding (just one example ) and that sort of thing.

But you didn’t HAVE to pay those fees for those years. Your child (unless SEN in which case that’s whole other kettle of fish) would have been educated at a state school
for free.

Ok it might not have been a school you would have chosen but you cannot say it was technically a necessity to send them private.

FWIW I use a mix of state and private education for my children but at no point will I ever say it was a necessity to use the private school. It was without a doubt a luxury.

So it's actually much more affordable to have a child in private school than to have a toddler in nursery
The private schools near me are 9k per term.

I pay tax to fund state education that I don't use as a child-free person. But I don't moan about it like the private school parents do. Maybe because I recognise that state education is a public good that we should all fund, regardless of whether we personally use the service.

The argument against this is that, if I can't afford a designer handbag because of the vat, I can't get the state to give me a free one.
Putting vat on most luxury goods doesn't increase demand for state services; putting vat on private school fees will.

Just as an aside. I believe that the education system generally reflects society as a whole, so you can see why private education in t he Uk is as it is. I live in somewhere without widespread private education, but where private tutoring is part of every day life and where school children are spending hours after school being tutored.
I don't think that the removal of private education would change the priorities of a part of society. Just look at the Far East and how extra tuition is big business.

Clearly you do have money to burn. Hardly fair on those people who aren't as wealthy. Private schools would just be full of people like you, the super wealthy. And widen education inequality even more. That's not nice.

Capitalism is inherently unfair. Life doesn't have to be. There's this thing called society...

^This ^

I don't care - nor assume - that you have money to burn or not. But you have chosen to purchase something - an education for your child - and that should be VAT-able. I have to pay VAT on all sorts of items and services I buy - why should you get away with it because your "business" claims it is a charity. Private schools are not charities, they are businesses. As for whether you will vote Labour or not, if you are prepared to allow this shit-storm shower to continue in power after everything you have seen of them and how they are bankrupting the country and everyone in it (except for their wealthy mates of course) over one single issue then you were never going to vote anything other than Tory anyway!

Oh no you may have to mix with the riff raff 😂 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 evil laugh!!

They AREN’T charities and they shouldn’t be exempt from tax. I’m with Labour on this one and if they sort out their thinking on gender I’ll vote for them.

I agree with this. It’s not a tax benefit.

Yep, like a chocolate biscuit (except for a jaffa cake obviously )!

Many private schools are run as charities, trusts or not for profit organisations.
I always tended to think that a child taking a private education place was freeing up a place and funding in the public sector.
The financial benefits to the economy from private schools comes via the income tax returns of the school teachers, support staff and business services the school utilises.
It's a bit daft to think a private school provides no benefit to the wider economy.

I'd quite like to buy a massive house and then not pay stamp duty and top band council tax.

My argument would be "I'm struggling to see why housing is a luxury".

Does that work?

ummm…let’s ask Diane Abbott…she wanted private schools abolished, but had her son in private school… just in case we are touching this thread with a political stick….

I think private schools are a luxury, and like all luxuries should be taxed.

@eastherg even with the government subsidy on childcare, it would be cheaper (in my town) to have a child in the local private school than in a private day nursery full time

Do you realise what you sound like?

I mean yeah the Tories are crashing the economy and it will lead to peoples deaths but god forbid little Jimothy have to go to school with plebs.

@strawberriesarenot who should pay VAT?

There's all sorts in private schools from ultra rich to parents scraping and scaling down their life so they could send their children private. There's also families with normal income where they have grandparents to help or inheritance. Those that are privately educated don't use state education putting further strains on the education system despite their parents paying tax. Education isn't a luxury. If those that feel the need to privately educate their children, one should ask why they need to send them privately in the first place making huge financial sacrifices for most parents just like asking those with private healthcare and ask them why they don't use the NHS. A few private schools have already closed down due to brexit and covid with families moving back and to add vat would price out many families who would then flood the state education system. Not everyone is ultra rich, most families are middle class and it's another way to target those that pay the most tax from their salaries for services they don't even use. It's very shortsighted and as usual, it's a way to turn against one another. It's a typical labour thinking.

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!

You are wealthy enough to afford private school (so benefited from the recent tax cuts) and feel other taxpayers should subsidise that but (apart from this one issue) you were voting Labour?

Which labour policies appeal to you @Popgoestheweaselagain?

Yep.

I think that’s an issue. It’s unclear how much VAT will raise as it will increase the burden on the state system.