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?

Or maybe people aren't consumed by cynicism and actually are guided by values that are aiming for the right thing to do.

If you had answered on the Reeves no bonus cap maybe it would be clearer where you are with this

Just Labour spin or actually wanting lower inequality

@Goldenbear which in theory (but it won’t happen) would prove the forecast right even more so. Local authorities are going bankrupt as it is. They have no money and aren’t going to receive any more funds from this crude and ill thought out plan. Where on earth do you think all of this money is going to come from?! If it was as easy as “let’s fund another school-turn that independent into an academy.” We wouldn’t have kids learning in portacabins.
Anyway, ones of my key points is that the independent schools will be absolutely fine financially. Many are partnering with overseas schools already and the places will be taken up by overseas students who will be exempt from the VAT = Zero money to the government. But more burden on services. Too much burden for the system to cope with.

Again, why me in particular out of everyone on this thread?

Are you a Conservative voter who is pro inequality? Why won't you answer?

I'm not bothered about the Bonus cap question, I think it is strange to think the Labour party is going to go full Bolshevik style as that is not going to win them any votes. I voted Greens last time as there wasn't any point in voting for any other party where I live. I along with most of my friendship group with similar economic backgrounds, homeowners, early to mid forties are all wavering voters in that sense but definitely not Tory. I have family that would be impacted by the bonus cap they are still voting Labour!

Their DC also go to PS but they see the bigger picture, they are not a one issue voter.

I have family that would be impacted by the bonus cap they are still voting Labour!

Maybe you missed it, there won’t be a cap

Yes, I know, my point is to highlight that not all wealthy people are against PS VAT, they 'would' be affected by the closing of tax loop holes but like I stated it is the bigger picture they are looking at and the utter ineptness most recently of the Conservatives in managing the economy.

Are you voting Conservatives for equality? You still haven't said? What exactly appeals to you about fuelling further inequality via the Tories?

I’m not voting Labour but I haven’t decided beyond that

Labour’s policies are very poor. Gimmicks that will bring in very little and I’m not on board with envy based politics. Even Blair didn’t go with that, for a reason.

I can’t see you’ll move the dial much on inequality with policies floated.

Adding - any tax policy needs to consider behavioural impact, and that hasn’t been done by Labour

Just to be clear the Labour party won't be reinstating the bonus cap not that they have abandoned a policy on bonus caps that they were thinking of applying as that's how your question reads.

They were not for it when scrapped

Reeves likely made a statement against at the time

Well where does that leave you, lib Dems probably not Greens as there are few constituencies where that would be worth it.

Politics of envy? What exactly are people envying, what that you can send you children to PS, no thanks, I went to one and I have family members whose children go to them, in our friendship group 4 out of 15 of us went to PS and a couple of those were the best (if you like to rank), I wouldn't touch PS for my DC as i don't think it would benefit them at all! The principle of them is wrong and prefer an economy to run where the rising tide lifts all boats and people aren't bitter and resentful of those that visit foodbanks🙄as has been demonstrated quite crudely on here !

Plus my DC are bright so I don't need to waste my money! 😉

I understand why posters below are hacked off

Tax is high already and they’re being used as an electoral punch bag so people can feel a bit better about inequality or hook into ‘someone else can pay’

It’ll bring in very little and is a farce of a policy

Same with the Nom Dom one.

On dc not needing private due to bright, great let others waste money and stay where they are.

@Goldenbear but you do come across as very bitter and very resentful for reasons that are not clear but you obviously have a very big chip 🤷‍♀️

What because I don't believe in principle in inequality, I have literally discussed the politics of this. Why are you making the political, personal? Seems like you have a hidden agenda or just make things personal when you feel attacked? Are you worried that you don't have any principles?

Your principles mean someone else pays more but as a high earner you are not being asked to give anything up

If you could halve your income to lower inequality maybe it would be a strong stand

How much voluntary income tax do you pay?

@Goldenbear

Being a "high earner" doesn't mean you understand the econonomics of inequality.

From your responses in here it is 100% clear that you do not.

What the UK needs to get out of its low growth trap is massive public investment, which has been allowed to be eroded in the UK in order to send increasing amounts of tax revenue to the pensioners (UK demographics are getting worse)

How to fix that?

You cannot fix a crumbling state school sector with the silly "add 20% VAT to fees". It will actually makes things worse because it generates a rounding error in revenue while destabilising the education of many children (not all of them wealthy)

What you actually need is SUSTAINED investment into education in the region of £10bn/year for the next 10 years.

And you know what?

If you asked the "higher earners" if they wanted to contribute as a group with the lower earners for that tax (i.e by increasing the basic rate of tax of 20% and reducing the tax free 12.57k) you would find that the majority would say "yes" if the tax was hypothecated for education.

Thats a "plan". Everybody chips in.

What they have now is not a plan. It is a policy designed just to get their base riled up given that adds negative value to the education sector in the aggregate sense. Its another version of "someone else is paying for it", which is precisely the attitude that has led to the massive increase in state dependency in the UK (54% of adults). This is corrosive for the productivity of the country and needs to be stopped or else the UK will simply keep getting poorer (as the people taking out increase, and the people paying in decrease due to demographics).

Why would overseas students be exempt from vat? If the service being delivered in the uk they’d be charged vat

@Goldenbear I’m not making it personal I’m just telling you how you come across 🤷‍♀️.

Both DH and I are medics, without private school one of us would not be able to do the jobs we do. Like many of the parents at DC’s school it’s not about elitism it’s about being able to work.

I’m not against the policy at all for what it’s worth and will be voting Labour, as I previously stated on this thread but I do find the nastiness and bitterness of grown adults on this thread bizarre, clearly you can’t all be dreadful people so as usual in these circumstances there will more than likely be some sort of chip or axe to grind!

‘I don’t think not being able to afford private school fees which a massive majority can’t can in any way shape or form be described as hardship. No potential labour voter would ever think that.’

it’s doubtful that any voter - other than SOME of the private school
parents , and even then not all - would ever think that.

Not wanting to pay more and not being able to pay more are entirely two different things.

‘Both DH and I are medics, without private school one of us would not be able to do the jobs we do. ‘

cough bullshit.
I know many, many ‘medics’ from nurses to GPs to Consultants who somehow manage to work AND send their kids to state school.

@Morph22010 so the school guide info reads….. and this is the message, however the reality of the situation will end up being different we suspect. No exemptions have officially been announced.

@Dothefandangos read up the thread both our catchment primary schools are tiny village schools, they offer no wrap around care or breakfast clubs….and they finish at 3pm, we don’t have any family locally we weren’t able to find a childminder with space to offer drop off and pick up - would still be waiting now 18 months later! No places have become available in that time. DC’s school offers breakfast from 7:30am and after school care until 6pm. This makes a HUGE difference we just couldn’t have made the state school hours work. We could have applied to one 20/25 minutes away which has an excellent breakfast and after school care but it’s oversubscribed (the breakfast club and asc) we were told we would probably get a space in both by the end of the school yr but what do we do on the interim! Also no guarantee we’d even get a place at the school! If you’ve got a better solution I’d LOVE to hear it!