IT’S NOT A TAX BREAK! Education settings are exempt!

[LaceyLou82]

Fed up of Labour calling the VAT on fees a tax break! Ideologically this is so very unsound, we are talking about providing an education here.

Education is not taxed for a reason, in this country it should be a fundamental right.

As a nation vs the global competition we have this is totally a backwards step.

He could put 10p on income tax and raise billions!!! Foolish policy.

Such a misconception about Private School parents. This is an unfair policy.

I’m so dismayed by it, he promised, repeatedly he’d fully cost it and he bloody lied, it’s not costed till the last year of the goverment, 28-29.

once again. They always make these promises and refuse to cost them.

Private schools are not charities, unless they are literally run by charities (does happen). Private schools with no charitable status are the opposite of charities.

There's so many of them it's increasingly difficult to navigate past them.

This sounds like parents who send their children to private school are doing so for the overall good of society.
State schools are already on their knees. I don't think "let's fight against the VAT on private schools" is on their list of ways to improve things.

Our DCs are in state but if they had to move school, leave all their friends and if there were in exam years start whole new courses... because of a government policy... I'd expect people to care. I mean how would your children feel?

Why is everyone revelling in this without stopping to consider that at the end of the day it's children who are going to be impacted worst - whether already in state if there's an influx or moving to state with all the changes that come with it.

I just don't get it what's this hate for children ?

If they're going to introduce VAT they should only do so as pupils join the school - not midway through it, it's entirely unreasonable and frankly punitive.

Well if it comes in, you'll just have to either find the extra 20% or move your kid to a state school and have him/her rub shoulders with the likes of...you, I guess? I'm sure your clients will be able to find someone else to do whatever it is you do.

I thought VAT was charged on non-essential items and private school is not essential

And just a query someone might know the answer to

There are a lot of children in boarding school because their parents are in the military and it offers stability. This is very heavily subsidised by the armed services. How are they going to cope with the VAT increase?

They've been talking about it for a long time. Parents have hopefully made plans for the situation you describe. If you have kids in private education I'd hope you weren't living year to year, but planning for the fees many years ahead and if there was an indication you weren't going to be able to pay to move your child before the crucial exam years.

Oh OP, don't waste your breath.

Every other country in the world values investment in education. Every other government wants to encourage their citizens to spend as much on educating their future workers - dentists, engineers, chefs, therapists, plumbers - as possible.

Every single govt in the world understands that we are in a global market and the more we spend on educating our future workforce, the better for EVERYONE. Not one disagrees.

Only Britain's Labour party wants to drag people down, make it harder for those who are borderline. It is the politics of envy, pure & simple, bitter and nasty. It will only succeed in making education more elitist at significant cost to many children. A huge regressive step.

They don't give a toot about that. And yes, it's sad. What more is there to say about such people.

Exactly this!

Average price of school fees is £15k a year. So it will be an extra £250 a month. Any parent that doesn’t factor in contingencies of potential increases of at least £300 a month is nuts. It’s not the fault of the state that some parents haven’t planned ahead. Private education is a luxury that has to be paid for and we all know that when things are tough the first things to go are luxuries. Private education isn’t a right and is the same as any other high cost luxury people choose to buy.

I thought it was because private schools are allowed to register as charities?

Many, many children in the forces move a lot and don’t go to boarding school. I was one of them. It isn’t a necessity and boarding school shouldn’t be encouraged as it can be so damaging. Forces children receive extra PP funding which is a far better way to support them.

Please tell me where you can get a private secondary education for £15,000

To be fair, the shadow education secretary ( soon to be education secretary) is very pro raising standards.
She lived on a council estate but went to an excellent Catholic school and then onto Oxford
I was quite impressed by her

No other country in Europe charges VAT on education. Some countries have a private system as large as ours.
This seems to be Class motivated, or perhaps a hatred for elites, unless it's football.
Cathedral Schools that train singers in that marvellous tradition will be penalised as will the music schools such as Chethams in Manchester.

https://ifs.org.uk/publications/tax-private-school-fees-and-state-school-spending

Private educators are a business, providing a service. People pay for the service. Nothing charitable about it, so shouldn’t be tax exempt.

@LaceyLou82 - I know that this is part of a general push on MN to move votes away from Labour but all the threads make me more certain of how I am going to vote. Hadn't thought about the policy before looking at MN but now convinced it is a great idea.

You know what in the last year the state sector has had to cope with a massive crisis in buildings. Our school alone has cost the DofE millions of pounds due to let me see 🤔 RAAC concrete. We only needed 1/3 of our classrooms replacing (we are now in temporary accommodation). If schools need more room the government will suddenly provide it (strange how they haven't been able to rebuild these schools for years yet have suddenly found the money for hundreds of temporary classrooms).

It may not actually save them money but they will find the space for the students, that actually won't be a problem. Finding the teachers might be another problem though. 😕

Oh and we don't do class sizes of 40, 32 is the max they just add in extra classes. Strangely we even have class sizes of 18 in years 10&11 depending on how we split sets, we are certainly not massively oversubscribed in our area. I think the biggest problems and cities round here is places like Cambridge or Peterborough. But it's only in the cities its a problem you go out a few miles into the villages and the schools have places the kids just have to get on a bus to get there

Really sorry but given the huge numbers of children without a dentist, parents struggling to feed kids and heat homes I really don’t think training choristers should be something we lose sleep over.

Education for everyone.

Not tax breaks for a privileged 7% to attend elite education.

You want that. Pay for it yourself.

Meanwhile the government can invest in the education of the other 93% who can't afford your luxuries.

You can come and join us. 😜

The 7% are so noisy on here.

I guess it's true that when you're accustomed to privilege, any loss of it feels like oppression.

VAT is a tax on non essentials, luxuries basically. Historically we haven't taxed education services in the U.K. but there is no reason why we shouldn't. There can be an exemption for fees paid by local authorities for SEND students

Thanks @Another76543 and @DogInATent and anyone else who replied answering my question about what other organisations this VAT thing may end up applying to.

Yeah sounds like a bit of a potential minefield for when they draw up the legislation 🤔

Will be very interested to see what happens and how all this pans out.