Do you think labour will actually implement 20% vat on school fees?

[labpit]

We have two in Year 7 and year 10 and I am not sure what we will do if this happens. It is a certainty do you think?

Is all going to be solved by the 1% squeezed from the “privileged” parents?

It won’t. This is nothing but a cheap exercise in class hate, envy and political illiteracy.

Nobody is attacking children. Parents should have looked ahead, been realistic and budgeted in a safety net. It’s a luxury service. Families are struggling to pay rent for rubbish accommodation and to feed themselves. The Tories have spent the past few years properly attacking struggling families and as a country we’re been expected to just suck it up. However now we’re supposed to be deeply concerned about a few children from rich families having to give up a luxury and move schools. 🤔

Yes, there is a lot of inequality in this country, but this policy will do nothing to address it, it's purely a populist election promise. I'm happy to throw my vote away on a minor party rather than vote for Labour simply on the basis of this policy.

Crack on then. Back in the real world voters will be voting for the party most likely to give a shit about the NHS, driving equality, mental health services, education etc as opposed to contracts for friends and variety projects that do nothing and cost billions.

What does giving a shit for the NHS look like?

What does ‘giving a shit’ mean in terms of funding?

From Nom Dom policy do you mean?

I agree it won't affect the really wealthy.

I expect all that will happen over a period of years is that the smaller (cheaper) private schools will close and the large v.v. expensive public schools will remain.

There will therefore be default be more pressure on the state system Labour have already said they don't have magic money tree so how they will fund the extra places when state schools are already crumbling hasn't been accounted for.
As someone else in the short term it will be cumulative. People won't go on holiday (no vat paid there then), cut back on the cleaner (no income tax paid there), won't replace the car (no VAT again no commission for the salesman), won't send the kids on the school ski trip (no VAT there).

And it will make people reassess their choice at transition points.

Its the only actual policy I've heard from labour....

I also think this policy will do nothing to address in inequality.

I watched an intersting documentary that suggested some sort of data tax for corporations was needed to reflect how the world works.

Schools week is running an article today on London falling roll crisis hits year 7 with thousands of surplus places.

No. It’s not going to solve everything but it’s a small step towards a fairer society.

This does seem to be what people are hooking in to

We use a state school which is surrounded by high house prices and competition will go up after this pushing the lower end to other schools

How does that create a fairer society?

So you will make a choice on who runs the country and governs every aspect of public life based on one policy you don’t agree with? How mature.

Regardless of what it solves or complicates, it’s just what is fair. Just like it’s unfair that sanitary products had VAT added to them. That was unfairly added. VAT on private school fees should always have been in place. It IS a luxury when there is state provision.

Surely the whole ‘should have planned ahead’ bit can go for everyone though. Lots of budgetary pressures in life could have been easier if people had planned ahead and made different choices.

Regardless of what it solves or complicates

Goes with ‘I don’t care if it brings in money or not’

The rest is just slogan at this point, ie no benefit

If it complicates rather than solves and brings in no money it doesn’t actually do anything good.

Besides the whole point is to revenue raise for other stuff, so how will you fund what you want to fund?

It’s not just one policy though. Their policies of VAT on school fees and changing the non-dom tax treatment shows their thought process. They just want to punish those who’ve done well and those they perceive as “rich”. What will be next? That’s the concern which many people have. We already have more than half the population taking more in state benefits than they are contributing. There comes a point where it’s unsustainable to have a minority of the population paying for everyone else. Everyone has a tipping point.

agreed re sanitary products. They should put VAT on cakes and biscuits though - def a luxury and adding to the nhs burden

VAT isn't a luxury tax. It's the EU's general sales tax. Some countries have it, for example, on all food.

EU has allowed any countries which want to zero rate sanpro to do so, but it's still not concluded the agreement to make it exempt

We can now make any changes we want to VAT, and have exempted sanpro, and Labour can undertake to tax education.

Confusion often arises (even amongst MPs who should know better and use the "luxury" rhetoric) as the old UK luxury tax was rolled in with VAT when we first joined

@Another76543 agreed. Plus even the money coming is not being well used. All this policy will do is increase division, not increase revenue and will actually cost money. We have paid private for all sorts of health stuff because it was easier. We’re now joining waiting lists etc for reoccurring health stuff so that at least we’re in the queue - we can pay for the moment so no change to our current life experience but am some point we’ll get it on the nhs. Wouldn’t have done that if we weren’t worried about needing to find extra cash for this policy.

Hopefully.

I agree, admissions reform is also desperately needed in England - do away with faith admissions that further drive the house price effect by cutting off access to local schools to some kids, get rid of socially selective grammars, standardise admissions (my recent favourite Keep Out The Riff Raff is the Oratory consulting on plans to give priority to children of former students), and introduce degrees of demographic/ability banding.

Blimey, I hope you're not the nurse in your family. Is using the word cretin as an insult still acceptable?

‘Those that have done well’

wow!

Luckily that pressure will be short lived if it takes place at all.

(You're aware that most of the VAT from the school ski trip goes to France/Austria/Canada, right? They might lose a little on APD.)

I guess the trade off is that for those who go state rather than private at transition points, they'll have loads of disposable income that isn't currently attracting VAT to spend goods and services that are VAT-related.

but if they go to state school rather than private that will cost the state another 7K in pupil costs. If we do that we’ll be saving all the money we would have paid in school fees for university fees - preferably not in the UK. I doubt we’ll be alone in that. Obviously others may make different choices.

Seems to be quite a popular policy.
https://x.com/MattChorley/status/1752248831087960147?s=20

Charging VAT on private schools supported by 62% of voters, (and opposed by 21%) including 4 in 10 who went to private school, and 3 in 10 parents who send their kids to private school now