Business rates and private schools

[Perplexed20]

I hadn't realised that private schools only pay 20% of business rates due to their charitable status. State schools pay 100%.

Did you know this?

Yabu = everyone knows this
Yanbu = no, didn't know.

They didn't have to pay interest on loans during Covid either – which state school had to.

Thats just terrible. Effectively the state is subsidising private schools, then.

I wonder how much it has cost?

where did you get this info from? why wd they have loans in covid times anyway. methinks this is made up!

If anyone does care about the vat issue, read more about it and sign here :

https://www.change.org/p/stop-labour-from-adding-20-vat-to-private-school-fees-and-forcing-kids-to-change-schools/u/32672954?cs_tk=An7Iy1Sp4okMBb7UcWYAAXicyyvNyQEABF8BvE7huEk9vVrX8Yg0wNRkMX8%3D&utm_campaign=d2ae502bce934219954a5d593e74cfe7&utm_content=initial_v0_7_1&utm_medium=email&utm_source=petition_update&utm_term=cs

Don't be ridiculous.

Why is it ridiculous, specifically?
If the cost is 100% and the private school is paying 20%, who pays the difference?

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/conservatives-private-schools-157m-government-subsidised-loans/

I just googled it so definitely not made up. Multiple sources.

Just another example of this corrupt government

Why were private schools taking out covid loans in the first place given all the children still had to pay full fees??

Are you aware that only half of private schools have charitable status? Are you also aware of the business rates arrangements of state schools? The state sector as a whole is treated more favourably for business rates than the private sector.

Yes I was a Chair of Governors of a maintained school until a couple of years ago. What do you want to know?

Business rates for state organisations are just money going around in circles. One branch of the state paying another branch of the state. If they didn't have to pay them, it wouldn't mean extra money for the school, the budget would just be reduced to match.

You’ll know then that state maintained schools don’t pay business rates, which isn’t what your OP said.

“The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), which is part of the Department for Education (DfE), pays NNDR bills directly to billing authorities that are on the central system on behalf of local authority maintained schools and academies”

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-non-domestic-rates-guidance-for-billing-authorities/change-to-the-business-rates-payment-process-for-schools-guidance-for-billing-authorities

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2022-03-22.145043.h

Actually they do pay business rates, its just paid directly. Its still in the funding formula. Its just the administration that's changed.
You'd know that though, wouldn't you.

https://democracy.havering.gov.uk/documents/s55020/Item%2011%20School%20Business%20Rates%202022-23.pdf

Business rates are paid on behalf of maintained schools by central government. Currently, 80% mandatory rates relief is applied to academies, voluntary-aided schools and foundation schools. 82% of secondary schools fall under this category. They are treated in the same way as private schools which have charitable status. The half of private schools without charitable status do not receive relief. To start a thread suggesting that state schools pay more business rates than private schools is disingenuous at best.

This! How could any grown adult not understand this?