VAT on private school fees - will it change how you vote?

[Iwishicouldflyhigh]

Following on from the other interesting thread about whether it will be implemented, will this policy change how you vote either way?
For me - i've voted Labour and Tory over the years, but Tory for the most recent GE's. This year, i've been thinking seriously about how i'd vote at the next GE and it wasn't definitely a Tory vote - i was definitely a floating voter.
However, my children are at PS and so i will now most definitely be voting Tory (not just because how the VAT will seriously impact us - child number 3 will now not be going to the prep that we had lined up for her, she'll enter the local primary until secondary school - but how i think that it will affect schools negatively and children negatively).
I have a lot of left leaning friends who educate privately and whilst they cannot bring themselves to vote Tory, they won't vote Labour either at the next GE because of this policy.

It seems to me that this policy is only a vote loser (ie many Labour voters and 'floaters' who school privately won't vote for them at the next GE) and not a vote winner (ie i can't imagine that many Tory or 'floaters' will vote for Labour solely on this policy).

AiBU to think that Labour have really shot themselves in the foot with this idea?

I’ve heard PS parents at DC school who say they’ll suck it up and vote Labour, even through though they hate the policy.

No-one seems to ever admit voting for the tories though, and they’ve been around for 13 years, so who knows.

I don’t think people always answer truthfully about who they actually vote for.

I think Lab will get in, regardless.

Well, this chart was circulating on Twitter yesterday.

I wasn't going to vote but will now vote against VAT on private school. I will vote against anything that would make my life more challenging - I don't care which party it is.

I agree, I feel its literally like Labour are saying "our kids at their private schools are fine, we can afford the increase, we don't give a shit about the general public who find it a bit of a stretch for the fees, we want to increase the 'class divide' so only the wealthy can afford it".

I'd take that with a pinch of salt. People don't like to admit to voting tory (as you've said) Labour is the socially acceptable choice to voice... but no one sees you in the ballot box.

And the general view was that, the only people who feel strongly enough against the policy to vote Tory to avoid it, are usually solid Tory voters anyway.

I think they've got that wrong - there are lots of left leaning parents who educate at PS.

The Labour Party will have done their homework on this. The number of people with kids in private school are a very small proportion of the electorate and the majority of very wealthy people are naturally Tory voters anyway.

I never saw it this way but it would definitely make it even more exclusive to the super elite who can afford the 20% VAT.
Some people will claim in back anyway as a business expense if their work/ business pays for tuition fees. Again - it will be the very rich. Everyone else just gets screwed over.

They should also charge VAT on university fees then since they are also independent institutions

Yes it will change the way I vote.

My DC went through the private school system and given where my DC are now, it was worth it. I won't be a hypocrite and now act against others.

I'm not voting Tory, and I was going to vote Labour instead, but I'm not now. I'm not sure who I am going to vote for, but it won't be for one of the main parties.

Polling shows the policy has public support:
www.ipsos.com/en-uk/majority-support-labours-plan-to-end-private-schools-vat-exemption

Fees can't be claimed back as a business expense.

I think VAT should be charged for international students who are not British citizens but not for anyone whose parents are resident in the UK. I’d also have the schools operate as a business and have an exemption for VAT. If they are not for profit this shouldn’t be an issue. They can run a true charity separate to their business to fund scholarships and other school activities.

Private education is a luxury. Luxury has to be paid for so I don’t object to the change.

that will upset some people who then can’t afford it but that only puts them in with the majority of the population who cannot afford it.

those who currently pay for private school are a minority already, and a percentage of them will be well able to afford the fees even with increases and so of voters it will actually only sway a small percentage of the voters.

It’s a gimmick that is a poor policy but people vote with low economic literacy so it’s popular

Plus it’s all Starmer has so then though it’ll damage rather than bring in much he’s pushing it

It’s more that the state of it as a policy is off putting. Like the Brexit bus slogan

To answer your question, no it won’t change how I vote. Nothing could make me vote Tory after what they’ve done to this country, and Labour are the only other option likely to get into power.

As a PP said above, they will have run the numbers on this. In my circle of friends (split between the north and south quite evenly), not a single one can afford private schooling. So I personally don’t know anyone this will affect.

I understand it’s not going to be popular with people who do privately educate their children, but a lot of Tory policies are unpopular as well - possibly to a much wider group of people.

7% of parents, plus some grandparents, is a risk, given that Labour need the biggest swing in U.K. electoral history.

I won't vote Labour because of Vat on education and their stance on women.

Most people don't privately educate. I think it will win Labour as many votes as it loses them.

I like the policy.

DH and I could comfortably afford ps and occasionally consider it although I'm not a fan. I think VAT should be charged. The vast majority of ps do absolutely nothing to earn charitable status and pay lip service to it. There's also a massive slug of ps kids from overseas and a chunk paid for by employers.

Ps fees have been hugely inflated for years to fund glossy facilities. I suspect what will happen is they won't be able to charge 20% more, so will have to pare back to soak up increases.

94% of children in this country are in state schools. The ones in ps are wildly overrepresented on mumsnet.

I have a child at private school. I’ll be voting Labour.

I’m not opposed to vat on fees (even though I’ll be paying it) or higher taxes (I’ll also be paying). However I really hope that there’s a lot more to Labour’s education policy than this, as I’m really not convinced this will do much/- it may or may not increase tax revenues (set against the additional coat of state educating all the kids who stay in the state system as a result of the increase) but either way a lot more is needed in both resources and thinking. I worry that they’re so focused on the headline-grabber that the rest will get forgotten.

My daughter is at private school. We hope to send my son. I’m deeply worried about the fee increase and wish it wasn’t part of labour’s policies. I don’t know if we will be able to afford to keep paying.

But…I’m still going to vote Labour. The Tories have destroyed this country in every possible way imaginable. Their total corruption of all that was once good about Britain is unforgivable. I don’t just want them to lose the election. I want them annihilated. And if it means us having to make huge adjustments to sort out education for our kids in the short to medium term, so be it.

As a PP said - this could also affect how those who have privately educated in the past vote.....

I agree with this. The “Left leaning private school parents” who can’t afford the increase will be a drop in the ocean compared to the vast amount of state ed parents who want levelling up.

I think their stance on TWAW is a bigger risk to labour at the moment.

Thats close to half the electorate they are pissing off and its a half who are more inclined to vote labour.

Keir Starmer needs to be brave and take a stance that sex and gender and separate, but both important, and sex simply can't be changed. That rights for TW cannot be imposed at the expense of rights/safety for XX women.

Doubt it. Once kids have left school, parents forget about education. Why nothing in education really changes - it only concerns the people who uses it currently.