to suggest that every single parent with a child at private school apply for a state school place asap?

[sarjd]

let's see how that works.

I would do both, personally. (As a high earner with dc no longer in school).

Do you seriously think the only reason people want Labour in is because of their policy on VAT for private schools?. I doubt that it is on most people's radar in the general population and it wouldn't have been here if it wasn't for the copious and often quite obnoxious posts from people like OP and many other parents with children at private school.

I am voting Labour. This policy really was not on my radar until MN and the many threads about it. What I care about is the economy, the NHS and housing in that order.
But the way so many parents have reacted on these many threads have made me far more committed to this policy than I was in the past.

I would also do both - highest tax bracket with 2 children in state school.

Next?

“Do you seriously think the only reason people want Labour in is because of their policy on VAT for private schools?. I doubt that it is on most people's radar in the general population and it wouldn't have been here if it wasn't for the copious and often quite obnoxious posts from people like OP and many other parents with children at private school.”

But why have the Labour Party put it in as one of the big 6 then? Anyway, let’s see what the Manifesto around 13 June says.
It is meant to be a minor issue and the university funding question is far more pressing. Why is that not tabled?

And anyone who thinks people are voting Labour to stick it to children in private schools is really really out of touch.
Back here on earth, most people are struggling with cost of living increases, have a friend or family member on an NHS waiting list, and have younger family members struggling to access housing. I am worried about my Aunt's long wait for her hip replacement. Not a teenager wanting to stick it to the man.

It is not just on MN though, it is all over the press? How much money, energy and time has this already generated? Quite a lot I would have thought?

When the efforts should be going elsewhere on far more urgent things. It is a massive distraction and they won’t hear the end of it. For that alone, it is simply not worth pursuing. They might not in any event.

It's not really schadenfreude, it's just "tough shit".

People who aren't rich are more used to having things not go their way, to changing what they buy and where due to cost of living, to wearing more layers inside in winter, to cutting their cloth smaller and smaller while the rich just absorb the cost and buy what they've always bought and set the thermostat to its usual temp for a bit more money.

Most rich people will absorb this cost too. Most tales of working five jobs to put their kid private, of pushing average kids out of the good state schools is bollocks.

The thing that the rich don't want to admit, is that part of why they pay private fees is to avoid you and your child.

My sister did so well in the 11+, she got a free pass to a single sex school that was 90%+ fee-paid.

My parents weren't what you'd call poor by any stretch. But we never had a proper pool, designer clothes, or people who "professionally" decorated our house for Xmas. So my sister and other actual clever girls were "poor" and singled out and bullied for it. My parents also found it hard to get in with PTA parents.

“Back here on earth, most people are struggling with cost of living increases, have a friend or family member on an NHS waiting list, and have younger family members struggling to access housing. I am worried about my Aunt's long wait for her hip replacement. Not a teenager wanting to stick it to the man.”

Well precisely, so stop making it a top 6 agenda item.

@Araminta1003 It was tabled as a policy that is easy to enact and has broad support. It is pretty uncontroversial amongst most people, because it is simply about fairer taxation.

My children go to private school and i very much view them as hugely privileged. And I know that they don't just get a basic education but lots of frills and luxuries on top.

But maybe that's because I also volunteer with some of the poorest in society, many of whom face incredible battles with health, abuse or other difficulties. All were hard working and independent before life dealt then cruel blows.

Same. The private school lot are noisy, but not for one second did anyone expect them to be anything but.

It's mostly because it can be easily called new money and put towards new projects. Everything else is earmarked.

But most rich people won’t just absorb it? They will fight it all the way and cause distractions and legal cases and waste valuable Council time and Parliament time etc - that is the whole point. And journalists will endlessly ask pointless questions about it and the press will continue to be over it and put international students off. And it won’t raise any actual cash? So why exactly is it worth pursuing?!

The victim status claims are very wrong, and undermine any defence of this.

It is ok to charge VAT on private school fees.

’Are you actually joking? We will likely have a landslide victory by a party that have singled out a group of school children as privileged and to be taxed in an anomalous way? And plenty of people are applauding that?’

The parents are being asked tonFINALLY pay VAT on a luxury, the kids aren’t being taxed anything.

Ah, more threats. Won't the rich ones suck it up and the others are too busy working three jobs and taking in ironing?

I'm sure you'd be welcomed on the PTA too x

So we shouldn't ever tax the rich appropriately because they will always try to find ways of avoiding having to pay?

You really think politicians should give in because rich people play the victim a lot? And where are all these rich hard working people working all the hours God sends supposed to find the time to do all of this? Or maybe they are just lying to us all along about just how busy they are?

I agree with the person who said poor people are used to making the best of their situation. Rich people could learn from them.

‘Fight’ it in court? Wise up. It’s VAT. I may as well go fight the VAT charges added to my MOT.
International students - I doubt they’ll go, their boarding fees of £35/£40k +’are the life blood of many of these schools. Their families are wealthy enough to afford fees, extras, frequent airfares and travel costs, the cost of having a paid ‘guardian’ in the U.K…
They can affford the tax.
But say they do stop using British boarding schools? So what? What advantage is there to stuffing our schools with Russians, Chinese, African, French or other nationalities anyway?

If you want your child to mix with children from around the world - send them to a state school in any decent size English city!

@CelesteCunningham well, given those who send to private are also funding the state then yes, you’re right, it should.

But many of you already said they make a lot of noise so why do you expect them not continue to do just that? And cause problems all for something that won’t actually generate much cash? Why is this policy worth it? It is just creating a pointless class fight is it not?
Why do other countries not tax private education at 20 per cent? Why are we going to be the only ones? Are we the only ones who have such a problem with inequality in education?

@Araminta1003 because it is the right thing to do.
And no one should ever give in to rich people playing the victim.

As an aside I wish MN did not allow name changing so I could spot these parents in the future who are playing victim status over £69 a week - and for many it will be less.

I was not talking about international pupils in private schools. I was specifically talking about putting off international students who are currently a funding lifeline in many of our universities.
Because this is the kind of policy that the press will pick up internationally and comment on and it will scare international students off British universities and we are already kind of screwed. So what are the Labour Party going to do to make sure that does not happen? They need to at least comment publically that international student fees will not rise and that there will be no taxation on those. Can they actually guarantee this without promising further funding to our universities?