Kier starmer! He hates strivers!

[Bucketheadbucketbum]

He wants to introduce a policy to put up the cost of school fees 10 to 15%. This is a tax on hard-working parents! We slave away cutting cots everywhere living hand to mouth to try and improve our childrens future . Live in an average house average area 1 shit car no holidays work like a dog to get our kids through. We are easing the burden on the state system by choosing independent schools. We're not sending them to Eton paid by our trust fund! Why does he want to punish strivers! Tax the energy companies! So disappointed. We need a new political party. What's the point in trying to better your future.

“No one will quit a private school because fees go up a small amount.”

-yep, point proved

@JusteanBiscuits I can't speak for all private schools, obviously, only DC's school. Who have admitted 20 Ukrainian children on 100% bursaries, alongside grants for uniform, sports kit and laptops, on top of c.30% of children at the school receiving some sort of financial assistance - either through scholarships or bursaries. As well as a further 12 fully funded sixth form scholarships, available to children from local state schools with priority given to those qualifying for FSM.

'It’s a spite tax, that will do nothing but widen the rich-poor gap'

the idea that ordinary families can afford private school is a joke. They can't. Even with 'sacrifices'.

It's not a 'spite' anything - these schools ARE NOT charities. Therefore don;t get charity benefits. Unless they come REAL charities and fund raise for all fees...

Yep. How is losing this good? It’s sad. State won’t improve just a petty policy that people hold on to as a way to take things away from others. I hope it is delayed and I’m out of the system but I won’t like where it takes us overall.

The interesting part of this for me is that not all private schools are charities. Some are businesses. Presumably (?) they already charge VAT on their fees and so this is actually just leveling the playing field.

At this stage the country needs a party that understands economics. Difficult to be all PC and cuddly when the country is bankrupt! That’s not fair to anyone.

this policy is completely indicative of Labour prioritising ideology over practicality.

Even with the Truss shit show, I anticipate Labour will have an up hill struggle to get elected when the time comes. Their policies live in la la land. We need a strong opposition to rotate Governments. Time and time again Labour are ineffective. They need to drop ideologies and think practically. Bankrupting the country will have a lot more effect on the poor than rich

And who has been running the country for 12 years I wonder.

As I have posted previously I doubt Conservatives are as opposed to this policy as some seem to think. I don't remember a huge MN outcry when Gove wrote about removing charitable status in 2017.

But- but... plenty of DC in private schools come from families where a doubling of fees would barely be noticed! So there doesn't have to be 'room for them'. Others have already said it might affect 90,000; but their parents just need to strive a little harder, don't they? 😂

@OMG12

"At this stage the country needs a party that understands economics. Difficult to be all PC and cuddly when the country is bankrupt! That’s not fair to anyone.

this policy is completely indicative of Labour prioritising ideology over practicality."

The TORIES have been in power for 12 YEARS!!!

OMG12 nope, it's still about fairness. Unless you mean by 'understanding economics', you mean 'continuing to advantage the already privileged at the expense of the rest of us'? What's PC and cuddly about that?

‘"At this stage the country needs a party that understands economics. Difficult to be all PC and cuddly when the country is bankrupt! That’s not fair to anyone.

this policy is completely indicative of Labour prioritising ideology over practicality."

The TORIES have been in power for 12 YEARS!!!

Exactly - are we not past the point where people
are still blaming anyone BUT the Tories for the mess???!

I think they will get elected. I don't necessarily agree with this policy even as a left wing voter but accept that it probably would happen and the majority support it. However it may just mean that the rich will buy houses near the best state schools (and they can well afford to) so catchment areas will become smaller... It may not be a lot of money for a lot of rich people but it's things like this that may tip the balance for certain parents who are already wavering. They may decide to move into a catchment area 'just in case'. On the other hand state schools in wealthy areas may become better. Particularly in places like Richmond, Highgate

Us and them ideology isn’t good but it works. Blair knew it so he didn’t overly annoy the top tax burden payers. Starmer wants in more than he cares about who’s picking it up instead.

Even the Labour Party must know it’s nothing more than a populist vote winner. Assuming that every penny of the apparent (questionable) £1.7bn raised by imposing VAT, it would make no difference to the state system. The state system is funded to the tune of around £100bn a year. A 1.7% increase in that funding is hardly going to make a noticeable difference.

For those saying that private schools “aren’t fair”, what are your thoughts on faith schools? Why are people happy for the state to fund schools which can openly discriminate based on religion? These schools can deny people places purely because they can’t tick a box to say they’ve attended church x number of times over the years. Faith schools pay a small percentage of their capital costs to enable them to claim this status.

If we are talking about “fairness”, we need to stop state funding of faith schools, or stop them being able to discriminate based on faith. We also need more of a lottery system for schools, so that everyone gets a fair chance of a place at any school, not just those who can afford high house prices in catchment areas of desirable state schools.

Children with religious parents or parents who are wealthy enough to afford houses in expensive catchment areas are just as lucky as those children whose parents can afford private school fees. That is just as “unfair”.

I’m sure the likes of Keir Starmer would soon change their tune if their children ended up being allocated a place at a failing comprehensive.

It's removing an ancient and (generally) unjustifiable tax anomaly. If the school can't evidence its charitable status it won't have it.
Nobody is pretending it will fundamentally change the economy.

I really think now Mumsnet has a problem with right wing trolls.

Or left wing ones?

But the length of time the Tories have been in power has no effect on Labour economic policy, one doesn’t cause the other.

I’m sorry, I really don’t understand the point you are making

I am a Green party member. I also live in London where in order to get into a good school, you either pay or pray. Pay school fees, expensive house in catchment area or grammar school tutoring. Pick your poison. It isn't fair. Or go to church/synagogue.

Why tax one method of getting your child good education but not the rest.

Please tell me you’re not one of the people who think the only way people could have an opinion other than yours is because they are trolls????

I'd have thought it obvious?

They have trashed the economy, that £30bn Truss cost us? Austerity (that never ended) and removal of bursaries that has wrecked the NHS?
Brexit? 42bn in payments to the EU and 4% of GDP, thats 10s of billions alone (over 10 years since 2020 OBR)

None anything to do with Global events

Whoever wins in 2024 cannot afford to keep tax loopholes thanks to the TOries.

Because when setting economic policy it is better for everyone concerned to look at the overall impact. This will actually more than likely have a detrimental effect on poorer students in state education, so if you want to talk fairness look at that!

Yeah agree with you on this, we can all have dif opinions.

It's a headline grabber, nothing more.

Will do nothing to narrow the gap which worsened since Labour abolished the 11 plus system.

Amazes me how little Labour want others to go to such schools whilst benefitting themselves.

There is still an 11 plus and Grammar schools.

Tories after 12 years could have gone back to the compulsory system?

But they didn't, ever wondered why?