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?

Never used private schools but don't get the point of this. Surely all that will happen is a massive influx of private school pupils into state schools which will put massive pressure on the system and a drop in money from private schools. I think it will backfire massively and goes against human psychology/behaviour. And I won't be voting for either Tories or Labour, two sides of the same coin

I cannot fathom voting Tory after the deliberate damage they have caused to all public services. Not to mention how utterly incompetent their MPs are and how terrible Tory policies are.

And yes, we privately educate. Can we afford to if fees rise by 20%? Maybe not, but that’s not a good enough reason to support the present government - education isn’t the only thing which affects children’s lives.

I think it's likely that this policy will stop me voting Labour. I have two kids at an oversubscribed state school and it'll make absolutely no difference to their education. I see this policy as pandering to the left of the Labour Party and no better than the things the Conservatives do to pander to the right of theirs. It's also further divergence from the EU when I want the Labour Party to bring us closer again and ideally rejoin the customs union and/or single market.

I don't agree with this. You're not wrong about what the Tories have done to household finances, but it's a case of the frying pan or fire here. Labour's entire ethos is "tax the rich to help the poor" (the private school VAT being just one example of that) but the problem is that what they think of as "the rich" is actually the squeezed middle. If Labour get in, that group will only end up squeezed even more.

This for me too. I'm happy to suck up a bit extra to get the Tories out but what is going to happen with the money. Are they going to prioritise the crumbling asbestos school buildings? Will they be using it to guarantee better SEN provision so that the SEN surge of pupils from private to state will be catered for? What exactly are they doing with the money? Pretending it is a magic fix for 10+ years of austerity and Brexit (voted for by a chunk of Labour voters too) isn't realistic.

I also have no idea of any other policies they have, so do feel like a turkey voting for Christmas. It wouldn't take a huge amount for me to swing to Lib Dem - if only I could get my head around their gender issues.

We're contemplating private school because the crisis in schools and teaching is so bad and our local schools are all struggling with teacher retention which is having a knock on effect on not just education but also their ability to control bullying. Increased fees will make it harder for us but a) morally it seems right that VAT should be charged and b) I'd far rather we lived in a country where education was well funded so that the state options were good!

Every single word of this. I struggle to see how this country will improve when people don’t consider the wider ramifications of what they are voting for and reduce their decision to a single, selfish decision based solely on what suits their own immediate family. Explains a lot about why this country is in the mess that it is.

My kids are staate educated, but have no issue with parents paying out for private education. I don't think it makes my child's state education worse, and it saves state lots of money.

It won't change how I vote because it doesn't affect me, or particularly matter to me.

Everyone has their own issues which matter the most and shape their vote. I'm not judging people whose main issue is the fees and VAT. But my main issue is stopping the SNP.

I support trans rights and am not at all happy with labour’s stance on this issue. They recently endorsed the draft guidance for schools. I’ll be voting Lib Dem.

no I don’t think Labour have shot them selves in the foot here as there just aren’t that many people in the greater scheme of things that will be affected by this

I agree with the policy although it could impact me severely. I’m still voting Labour, most likely. I can’t imagine voting Tory just because of this. You may trust them to not do this to private schools but do you trust them on the economy/your job? If wages can’t keep up with inflation an awful lot more people will be priced out of private school than would do under labour’s policy.

My boys were at private school. My youngest DS finishes this year so it personally doesn't affect us however he is at a small private school (not posh with fancy facilities in any way) that specialises in additional needs also, he has various needs so it has been important to us that hes there (state schools near us absolutely do not cater for kids like him). We would not have been able to keep him there with an increase in fees, due to rising utilities etc it's risen 9% each year for the last 2 years which has been a struggle (usual rise 1.5-3% since he was 4. As a result of being at that school and having access to help with his SEN he should come out with a really decent set of GCSEs and be able to have the career he wants. It's crap that this isn't available in all state schools, I would have preferred him to not have gone private.

My eldest DS is very academic, after DS2 started at the private school we sent him as it was too difficult to do the school run for both due to where the schools were so even more of a stretch to us with both there.

What we would have been able to do without them being at the school is afforded to move to nearer better schools (our state ones in the areas are awful and underperforming) or afforded a tutor for grammar school, as well as needing 2 government funded state school places.

I don't see how that is any better than sending the kids to private school. It just makes it even more unfair on those who can't afford private surely. At least the grammar schools provide some opportunity for those unable to pay for private.

I won't be voting for Labour, because of this but also because of Keir Starmer and he's weak stance on women's rights.

I have no idea who to vote for!

People support taxes “ they think they'll never have to pay. Any policy that imposes taxes on others is warmly greeted because people are inherently selfish.

It is why people also are against inheritance tax. They think it is possible they may have to pay inheritance tax so vote against it whereas they likely know for definite whether they’ll be paying school fees or not.

The ironic thing is that VAT on school fees will affect more people than inheritance tax but it is perception that counts more.

By being against inheritance tax you are mentally leaving the door open to the notion you maybe wealthy enough in the future for it to matter. With school fees the same doesn’t apply.

You do realise that some private schools have vat on fees already don't you? It's only those with a certain status that are exempt. This means the number of people affected are even less. It would make more sense for all private schools to be given the same status to make it a more even playing field.

Exactly

I have a two-year-old with scarlet fever this morning and can't get him antibiotics because our GP doesn't even pretend to open appointments any more.

I am going to vote Labour because I am no longer completely confident the NHS will be able to get my children to school age under the Tories. And for a lot of other reasons, but mainly that.

I suspect lots of parents, even those already using vat charging schools don't know this. Its going to be like expanding ulez again. Most cars are compliant but Tories spread fear that Labour are going to take your car off you. Meanwhile, Tory governance means you can't afford the car in the first place.

Exactly this.

Won’t change my vote. I already wouldn’t touch labour with a barge pole due to Keir’s insistence that TWAW and we should all bow down to the mighty lady penis, women’s rights be damned.

I’ve never voted Labour in my life and never would.

I understand why many non net contributors do as they want to protect their lifestyle of full or partial dependency.

In a country where over half the people pay no tax and only 20% are net contributors it is inevitable that we’ll end up with a government that supports dependency.

It’ll work for a short while with awful policies such as school fee VAT but in the end the words of Margaret Thatcher will come back to haunt everyone.

“The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of everyone else’s money”

We’ll be careering towards that conclusion at a frightening rate under Labour.

Also, I work in schools and rolls are falling across country. 10% down in London where primaries are being mothballed and 90% of schools are good or outstanding.

Your kids are going to be fine.

Planning to vote Labour. I have never voted Tory though and consider it vanishingly unlikely I ever would. This single policy doesn’t affect my plans.

I agree with the person who wrote somehow the Tories always get in, Brexit happened. Even austerity and Tories are still being voted in.

yes it will change how I vote - and all my family to be honest because they can see how stressed we are with the changes.

we think our SEN daughter will have to be homeschooled. She was due to go to private school but we can’t afford the uplift and don’t want to put her in then pull her out. Even a 5 year delay will enable parents forward planning. Why does it have to be implemented immediately?

why would a tax on learning be the first thing Labour go for? Such low hanging fruit.

What nonsense. Labour policies aren’t anything close to Socialism and Thatcher is a the source of most things wrong with the UK today so quoting her ridiculous sound bites as if they were some magical gospel is just silly.

This policy isn’t going to affect my voting.

It’s just not a policy I have strong feelings about regardless of whether it happens or not.
I’ll be basing my voting on the other issues I do feel strongly about.