To think that people who agree with VAT on private school fees but not on university fees, are hypocrites?

[Blanket601]

If Labour add VAT to private school fees, they should also add VAT to university fees. Or no VAT on either. The principle and rule, should be the same.

Why is only private school education being platformed. I think we all know why.

@Barbadossunset- it’s a real mix where people are going.

So in my wider group of friends and colleagues etc it has been Spain, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, France, many back to Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, lots and lots to Dubai on the golden visas too for a few years. And quite a lot to Ireland. What many forget is that lots of married couples are international now and can often get a visa through their spouse.
Most recently people are even going back to India as it is booming.
These are all successful couples on higher salaries. Even private school teachers are increasingly mobile. Easy to get a job in Dubai apparently.

Class 4 contributions are no joke, they are slightly lower than PAYE NI contributions on the same salary but they entitle you to nothing.
There are major differences between those who are sole traders and those who are have incorporated. You can’t lump them under the same category. Also VAT is worked out on a monthly basis not annually and has caught many people out over the years. It’s also a non tax since the cost is passed on to the consumer and you are basically just a glorified tax collector. Don’t get me started on employer NI although it isn’t taxed on your net profit.

That’s interesting, Araminta. Presumably they’re not planning to return?

We know many going to Guernsey
Income tax 20%, inheritance tax 10% on the entire inheritance so a big saving if you are wealthy.
You need to pay for healthcare but as everyone has private healthcare anyway it’s irrelevant.

Our aunt was looked after in an amazing care facility for 12 years with Alzheimer’s. It was a world away from what’s offered here.

The only negative really is that it’s a small Island, but if you have the money you’re never far away from your boat or a helipad 😄.

@Barbadossunset - I don’t know the answer to that one! I think some people go to Dubai with the intention of returning and just spending x years there to save a ton of money because there is no income tax. So if you are a young professional on 125k then it is a no brainer especially if you don’t have an inheritance. You can spend 10 years there and save hundreds of thousands in tax. So if you come back you can then buy a house easily and work less and for a lesser salary when the tax does not hurt as much. But in reality those that I know that went more than 5 years who have not returned except for 1 couple.

some unis offer an access course that covers the gcse/alevel equilivents and then progressing onto a degree so as long as you can have training to catch up on your academic skills then the option is there.

Araminta thank you for answering my question.
I can understand leaving because of brexit or to have a few years away for work but I cannot understand being a tax exile.
Surely the whole point of being rich is to be where you want. I can’t imagine anything worse than having to constantly keep one’s eye on the calendar in case one’s overstaying the 90 days.

Sorry - that was a bit off topic.

Umm really

So tax (for proprietor ) of 100k company profit

• employee 37%
• dividends 33.5% tax
• sole trader 30.5%

I'm not sure, french I believe will have an increasingly large role to play due to the number of African countries which use french

“Surely the whole point of being rich is to be where you want. I can’t imagine anything worse than having to constantly keep one’s eye on the calendar in case one’s overstaying the 90 days.”

I suspect it is very easy if you have your own PA who travels in your own jet everywhere with you and you have multiple homes in different fun locations. In fact, it is probably very boring to stay anywhere more than a certain number of days. That is why the kids go to boarding schools so they get some stability. And even then usually that lot have bought a local flat near the school for exeats. Quite often the international nature of the businesses require the travel and the glitzy lifestyle too.
I don’t envy those from jurisdictions where you have to watch your back and get your kids a bodyguard, but the rest of them have incredible lives.

Forms of wealth tax could easily be introduced ie changes in Council Tax bandings, higher rates of VAT on luxury goods, land taxes, CGT changes on unearned income.

The freezing on thresholds on the other hand, hit the poorest the hardest & who has frozen them until 2028?

One of the worst taxes is vehicle emissions tax, really hits the rural poor and the changes introduced in 2017 removed huge numbers of vehicles that were previously zero rates.
Its one reason why its so hard to get rural care workers.

Yet many very expensive luxury cars attract very low levels of tax, yet another benefit for the wealthy who have choices but get the tax breaks.

It will hurt the country to keep hitting the richer population with taxes because people are envious of their wealth,

So tax their new low emitting cars, just because they are shiny, big and new rather than higher taxes on toxic old cars ……
So their large house because ‘ it’s bigger than mine’
Taxing education despite ….well……everything said so.

They will leave

A poster on another site said they got approx £4000 in UC and other benefits / month ( rounded up )

If we start losing our higher tax payers all those
£500,000 tax bills will be paid to other countries and who pays the £4000 to the MN on the other site, who pays the doctors and nurses because 70% dont pay enough.

Taxes on emissions
Pollutants
High energy users ( including households )
Luxuries that use energy ie tumble dryers and dishwashers
Air travel…all types including helicopter
Alcohol
Tobacco
Sugar
Processesd food
Luxury goods in general
Makeup et all that uses animal experimentation
Meat ( huge global warming problem )
Taxes on car use in travelling short distances ( everyone would need a black box)

Im sure there’s so many more
You see
All of these taxes are on things that are bad for us or for the planet. Or both!

Then catch all the companies and individuals that are avoiding tax or lying about their situations……

The less well off are most effected by vehicle emissions. Based on the idea that company cars are changed ever 3-4 years then encouraging companies to buy BEVs will increase supply and reduce the cost on the used market. You are already seeing this with £50k new cars being sold at £20k 3 years old. ( VW ID4 - is this a luxury car in your book?). If you put solar on the roof of your house and use this to charge your car then the cost per mile is tiny. Clearly we aren't a a place where you have alot of £5-10k electric cars with good range but it will come.

Clearly we aren't a a place where you have alot of £5-10k electric cars with good range but it will come.

Thinkingforward
I thought the sales of electric cars were declining?

Is this purely because they are electric though.
Highly unlikely
Its more likely to do with the current COL crisis.

( people may also be concerned re current access to recharging )

Its more likely to do with the current COL crisis.

Thats true. We live in the countryside and have to travel quite long distances to visit relations so we wouldn’t get an electric car - at the moment anyway - as their ranges aren’t long enough.

Agree that’s definitely another reason.
Ours is a hybrid and I regularly have to go to West Wales from Kent.
If they could do the distance we d definitely get a full electric car.

@Barbadossunset certainly for private sales I believe so. But from my perspective it's therefore a good reason to look at used and try to negotiate a bargain.

@Andante57 & @Kandalama There are definitely cars you should be able to do long distance in. Pool car at work has 300+ miles of range, polestar 2. Work offers subsidised charging 50 kWh a week at 13p/kwh (salary Sacrifice). So it's half the price compared to home charging and it's much faster.

I have done a few long trips and you just time it to have lunch or whatever for 20-40 mins at a service station while you charge. You don't need to fully charge just a top up. Then cheap charging back at base. Realistically 2-3 hrs driving is quite enough before you want a break anyway.

I always try to buy the thing that is what I need for 80% of the time at 20% of the price. The week a year I need a van or minibus it's cheaper to rent, than live with driving a monster truck for ever occasion just in case you need to collect a whole football team etc.

I hope to get an electric car may be next year.

@ThinkingForward If these electric cars were such a good proposition second hand, they would not depreciate so much. A battery is usually guaranteed for 8 years but will lose power. Lots of people are wary of high costs when batteries give up. Hence depreciation.

Electric car sales have plateaued. They are very expensive if you need to carry a family and luggage. Second car run around - fine. Longer distance? Chargers out of action and huge upfront cost are prohibitive. We have a hybrid. It’s our second one. It’s also a second car. Our solar panels and storage batteries were £20,000. None of this is cheap!

@TizerorFizz

Another option is that people don't like change. Nothing is ever free but if you save £2000/ year on fuel and quite a bit on servicing then you could put this to one side for the depreciation or new battery if it comes to that.

I'm quite sceptical to batteries and solar as the batteries when I looked at them were 4x the price of the solar.

Unis are in trouble as a group. Overseas student numbers are down and they pay extortionate amounts to fund our unis. Either way a Labour Government is going to have to do something about unis. If they tried to tell us we have to pay more for our DC I would just send them to Europe. As it is, I am encouraging the younger two to take this path anyway. Who wants student debt and 9 per cent extra tax for up to 40 years.

We too are going to consider non UK universities. Our children have already said they’re interested. Many schools now offer special sessions and great advice on the application process etc. Unfortunately, the UK education system is broken and increasingly driving people away.

@ThinkingForward We also have air source heat pumps. So batteries are needed. We have 4 and yes, very expensive. But we generate and store power and it’s working well but we have a big house!

I’m guessing you have double glazing, not too old house ie not old timber frame. As we be been told heat pump’s would be useless for our house. Is your house brick. With or without cavity. With or without insulation. Just asking as we d like hit pumps and looking more into it