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?

It’s genuinely making me waver to be honest. Pitting parents against each other is wrong. They should be looking at how to fix the system in the first instance. Penalising a small subset of parents won’t fix the core issues. It also means there will be a hell of a lot of kids who’ll have to change school during GCSE years.

With this precedent they’ll come for people with private healthcare next, claiming that making it more expensive will fix the NHS. It won’t. It’s not very well thought out and just plays to the gallery.

It’s a ridiculous policy being touted around by a bunch of nutters. The damage it will do to state education will be devastating.

Thankfully most people are secretly right leaning in this country. Labour will never be elected so it’s not something I’m losing sleep over

You would eventually be rich if you didn't pay fees and saved the money - but we pay fees instead. I am not sure why people are so hung up on what money others have. Isn't this about the VAT on fees? So I should get taxed even more because I can afford private school fees? So I was right it's punishment.
What else should I get taxed on that other people can't afford?

@notthatthis as most people in the uk don’t even take home £60k a year the fact a family has it “spare” to choose to spend on schooling (or whatever they want), I think you are deluded to not realise £60k available funds a year is rich. Not billionaire rich but that’s more than “comfortable”. You really have no clue how most people live do you?

Comfortable NOT rich. What's rich to you? There's so much we go without to make that possible.
So because you think we are rich then we must be punished?
Actual rich people don't care about 12K VAT on fees - it's nothing to them.

@notthatthis nope, dh and I are “comfortable”. We don’t have £60k spare we save £1500 a month - so £18k a year. We have a slightly larger than average home, go on a family holiday abroad, couple of other trips, don’t have to stress if the washing machine/boiler breaks, we just get it fixed or buy a new one. Buy clothes when dc need them, add in some treats.

That is “comfortable”. Being able to choose to spend £60k on education is a luxury. That’s £5k spare a month - more than most people take home a month.

£18k is the average cost of a child in private secondary school. Plenty of parents in your position are sending a child to private school. They have just enough income to afford the fees but would struggle to find the extra £3600 VAT.

Liz Truss has cost people thousands a year in increased mortgage payments. Taxes are at their highest since ww2 under the Tories and the Brexit deal they signed is about to bring food prices up AGAIN. Voting Tory does NOT save you money!

Pushing private school fees up by adding VAT will make
private schools even more elite. Not necessarily a bad thing for those people who can continue to afford the increased
fees. Keep the riff raff out! The advantage of those still attending these schools is even greater, whilst pushing those less wealthy out of the system. Other than a quick revenue fix what’s the policy achieving from a societal perspective?

@notthatthis VAT should be paid on all luxuries. That's kind of the definition. Private education is a luxury for 7ish% of kids, so probably about 4% of parents.

Not read the whole thread

This policy puts me off voting Labour not because of any impact on me personally but because IMO it makes no financial sense and may actually backfire badly financially.

I’m not keen on a party which bases its policies on political dog whistles and levelling down rather than actual economic sense.

Reducing the amount of time people are waiting for an ambulance is much more important to me when it comes to my vote than worrying about whether middle class kids may have to leave their school

No but I find it very odd they’re now basically rimming bankers, but are going after people’s kids - I will vote for them but neither of these things sit right with me.

It doesn't affect me and I'm pretty neutral about whether or not this is a good idea. Depends on how much revenue it would bring in. It could affect people's jobs if schools close down.p

I think its a great idea and I'm more likely to vote Labour. They are going to out the money towards Tackling knife crime.

My life has been made massively more challenging under the Conservatives by virtue of the major rise in inflation and taxes, and in particular fuel prices. I really don't see how anyone could seriously believe they will do anything better if they stay in power. The damage they have done to the cost of living already far outweighs any VAT on school fees.

It would be spare if I stayed in Scandinavia where the government would pay for private school fees, It's not spare. Sounds like you enjoy a nicer life than me. What's the problem really? You want me to pay 12 K vat on the 60K after I have paid really high income tax on it - yet my children do not use a state school space and therefore save the government some money? What would be fair and acceptable to you? That they introduce a different type of tax for school fees - maybe 80% VAT on school fees?

Or would you be happier if I didn't earn it in the first place?

Exactly this!

I.m not necessarily saying I don't agree but tonight I saw Rachel said she wouldn't cap city bonus??

@CackleQueen good post.

It drives me insane how labour tend to think we want rich people punished rather than look to how to improve the lot of the less well off.

One huge way they could tip the balance in society is by making a drastic dive into sen.

Exactly this. In fact, the policy does affect me personally, but it's still the dog-whistle politics that puts me off rather than the financial impact (I would be quite happy with an increase in my taxation in another form, to increase education funding). I have mainly voted Labour in the past but won't now. I won't vote Tory either though, so god knows who I'll vote for.

@Another76543 I totally understand that and feel for those families. What I do find hard to read is people stating bullshit and implying a spare £60k a year available to spend on schooling is totally normal - it isn’t. Just look at the threads on mn where families are struggling to buy food without going in their overdraft.

While I’m sympathetic, there’s masses of people suffering due to underfunding of the nhs, state schools and local councils and that is affecting truly vulnerable families. Someone having to move their dc from private to state because they can’t afford it anymore isn’t vulnerable.

it’s like selling your Range Rover and buying Skoda - still gets you from A to B but isn’t a luxurious and less impressive to those around you, affecting your social status.

in terms of average family incomes, we are on the richer end of things. Some people like to deny being rich yet live in an £800k house. So totally out of touch with the reality of many.

There’s a lot more to politics than a single policy. David Cameron putting Michelle Mone in the House of Lords is one example!

Nobody is asking for your sympathy. Bottom line it's people like you who hate those who have more than you and feel we have to be punished. I have a lot less than people around me but unlike you I'm not bitter.

I thought this was about how it will change your vote, rather than attacking higher earners!

@TeenLifeMum and so what impact does what I pay towards school fees have towards people who are "suffering due to underfunding of the nhs, state schools and local councils and that is affecting truly vulnerable families".

I don't have any more money to pay more taxes towards something that should be free in the first place. That's the point. If I can't afford VAT yes I will remove my children from private school. It won't improve the system as I would likely home school them or take up a space in a state school. It will in fact cost the government more.

Or do you think I should never have earned this money and give it to my local council? I am really not getting where you are going with this.
Earning more doesn't mean you lack sympathy for others with less - we can start a thread about that. I'm just here to say I am one of those parents who has maxed the budget and would not afford more towards fees, it doesn't matter what I pay 30K, 20K or 10k per child - there is no more money left for most of us.