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.

Private schools have VAT exemption because they are listed as charities. But they aren't are they? So they shouldn't have the exemption

I am poor. I pay VAT on a whole lot of stuff. So why should those who can afford a schooling system that reduces social mobility and props up a two tier system be exempt?

University is necessary. Private schools are not. YABU OP.

From our local very ordinary state school three pupils in my sons year including him became (excellent) doctors.
The majority of those he trained with were state school educated.
Any argument that we need private schools to provide us with doctors as seen up thread is rubbish.

Incorrect. Private school fees are not subject to VAT because fees as educational services are currently exempt from VAT. This is also why there is no VAT on university fees.

Therefore one could make the case that cancelling VAT exemption on private schools paves the way for cancelling VAT exemption on university fees. And do people not see the link. This was really the point of my question.

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g "Where's the enormous sum needed going to come from if Labour wins the election?"

We should be asking where the enormous sums of money the Tories blew has gone. Billions blown away on waste and corruption. I want that back for a start!

That money has been spaffed up the wall, to quote our last PM but two. I'm not a Tory voter. I can't wait to see the back of them. I just wish I had more confidence in Labour.

Wrong. About half private schools are charities. All private schools and other education providers are exempt from charging their customers VAT. This was an EU measure.

My DC do 1 extra curricular activity each. There is VAT on both
I've no idea about tuition

I get your point but here’s how I see it. Labour can’t afford to put a foot wrong and need to tread very carefully.

Almost the entire UK press is pro-Tory. The Mail, Telegraph, Times, Sun all run by rich oligarchs, foreign nationals or non-doms bunging the Tories cash for influence and a seat in the Lords.

The fact that Labour has such a strong lead against this backdrop is remarkable.

I don’t agree with everything Labour has said, in particular with respect to Gaza, but I will vote for the party that broadly reflects my values, and that is Labour.

I have no interest in a party of protest. You cannot change people’s lives from the opposition bench. You need to be in power and Keir Starmer understands that. And he has to get there first.

Yep, I don’t know where this idea that extracurricular activities don’t attract VAT came from. If the company providing them has a big enough turnover you’ll pay VAT. My DS does swimming and rock climbing and we pay VAT on both.

I suppose if these were provided by the school itself they would be exempt - but that’s not an option for most schools.

No.
Most definitely not.
YABVU and spreading myths.

Has that person created ANOTHER thread on this? They must like punishment. It's looking a bit desperate. Is this the new Labour and Lib Dems don't know what a woman is? 😂

I guess if it affects your family you would be upset, but there are so many policies (or lack of them) that have really impacted peoples lives negatively, especially younger people. I think people dying on waiting lists, or not being able to find a home, or the increase of children in poverty is more important for the country.

Very good point. I can't believe thepenny has only dropped about how corrupt these crooks were, especially during the pandemic.

Not having the Tories in power save money in itself as they can't funnel it away for themselves 😂

It’s no where near 50%.

“The higher education entry rate among UK 18 year olds increased from 24.7% in 2006 to 30.7% in 2015 and peaked at 38.2% in 2021. It fell back to 35.8%in 2023 (from the UK Parliament House of Commons Library).”

So, almost 2/3 of the population do not benefit from the privilege of being able to attend university. If people are arguing that those at private school should be taxed because they receive an unfair advantage, then so should university fees. It’s irrelevant that there’s no private alternative. Lots of families can’t afford university.

the VAT issue is a worry as most people couldn’t do uni if fees were increased even more. Or they’d get into more debt

I don’t follow this. The fee loan is only payable back once the graduate is earning over a certain amount. That is the same for everyone and it’s priced into graduate salaries. As long as that principle stays, there is no inequality amongst graduates.

We are well off but we won’t be paying our children’s university fees up front, that’s a stupid waste of money.

So you're happy for everyone to pay VAT on kids swimming lesson, piano lessons, chess clubs, gymnastics etc?

If you're tutoring Child A Maths for their GCSE, that's not different to tutoring Child B in the Qur'an...now is that homework club your kid goes too.... Or that community adult English lesson...or the breastfeeding support group... Isn't that a kind of teaching/tutoring?
What about the SEN or disabled child who needs provision at a specialist school? Now they have to pay even more?

Where does education/tutoring begin and end?

It's very easy to say "tax the rich fuckers!" But most of the rich will be able to lay £43k pa instead of £41k pa without worrying. Even people in cheaper schools where fees are £13k, will be able to absorb the cost.

And let's say the independent schools closed, where are all the staff going to work? What do you think will happen to their grounds? What makes you think they won't just recruit kids from overseas? Filling the "best" schools with international students who then return home and don't contribute to the country etc etc

Why can’t lots of families afford university? Unless a potential student actually has to support the family by earning money to feed, house and clothe relatives, surely you just get the loans and a part time job?

People already pay VAT on extra curriculars such as swimming and gymnastics etc. If a provider has a high enough turnover then they will pay VAT.

Yabu. It's not the same

University education benefits the country as a whole: we need engineers, scientists, medics, writers, artists, and other creatives to maintain a developed export-driven economy.

Private schools do not benefit the country, in fact looking at our establishment and elites overwhelmingly populated by the products of private schools, one could convincingly argue they are detrimental to the well-being of the country.

What myths?

With the cost of living crisis especially, many people can no longer afford university. Just one article on the problems students have. Loans are means tested (it’s totally ridiculous that a grown adult is means tested based on parental income). Even if a family is calculated as being able to afford to give money to their children, they might not be able to afford it. Many families view a university education as being out of their reach.

https://amp.theguardian.com/education/2023/jan/26/uk-students-skipping-meals-because-of-cost-of-living-crisis

Not another one. No they don’t. VAT exemption and charitable status are two different things. Not all private schools are charities. They still don’t pay VAT because education is an exempt supply. Charitable status is not ending, Labour changed their policy on ending charitable status because it would be too difficult to implement. If you’re going to vote for this at least try to understand what you are voting for.

So education benefits society as a whole, but only if it’s provided for free? There are plenty of privately educated engineers, scientists, medics etc. You cannot possibly think that they only benefit society if their education was free. Their pre-university education has also benefited society.