Can’t just be me who is sick of the moaning about the private school VAT and winter fuel payments

[TruthorDie]

The moaning about them seems to be never ending. So tone death and indulgent on both counts. Not sure which is worse. A friends mum was ranting on social media earlier about winter fuel payments being stopped and how “worried about being cold” she was. Bad news is Lynn you haven’t needed to work since 1989, married to an oil exec and have had lots of the good life. I’m sure all of your Florida holidays keep you warm enough!

Bright children can get on anywhere, my siblings and l went to a comprehensive. We all have a couple of degrees, one of us has a PhD so it didn’t hold us back too much in life. Before anyone comes at it from the neurodiversity angle then l am and l wouldn’t be surprised if my younger sibling isn’t

I am aware lots of people in the world don’t.

Its irritating to hear very privileged wealthy people making noise about paying more for things they can afford.
It's irritating to hear people suddenly discovering and (liberally using) the word 'unfair' after the unfairness of hard working people being unable to heat their homes and needing foodbanks has gone unchallenged for years.
Its irritating that after 14 years of government that blatantly worked to benefit those with greatest advantage over those without, people are suddenly affronted that politics isn't 'fair'.
However when pensioners are receiving a couple of pound over the PC cut off and on the cusp of poverty, or people are worried about their SEN children, I have empathy.

😂 a winter cruise would cost more than WFP, or is he using his WFP to pay towards cruise. Either way the country cannot afford to hive money away to richer pensioners whilst people cannot feed their children.

Childcare costs are subsidized rather being paid. We get 20% off, bearing in mind the cost for 2 days a week is £1,500 then it’s still a lot of money to find. Before anyone says l should have budgeted better / not had 2 children then we have twins. We also are with the cheapest provider in our area

There's always a cut off point for certain benefits. We earned a very low wage when the kids were small and one year we got working tax credits and just getting that made a huge difference. But the following year we were just over the amount by abouts £150 and we lost it...and felt the loss. But its what it is.

Sometimes people just like a moan. I can imagine the majority of people sending kids to private school or pensioners who dont need winter fuel allowance aren't natural labour voters.

For two people who don't want to discuss it... you spend a lot of time talking about it

You are wrong to think that the VAT on school fees will only impact the families who choose to send their children to private schools.

(a) those parents pay for a state school place for their child through their taxes. The cost to the state is approx £7.5k per year to educate a child. These parents are therefore paying twice and are saving the state money. If children have to move to state schools it will cost the state more.

(b) if children are having to either leave private schools or not go in the first place because of cost, the local authorities have to find them a state school place. Schools are already at bursting point in many areas which is going to mean an increase in class sizes - a detriment to all kids.

(c) many private schools provide an environment for kids with SEN where they can thrive. The government has said that those with an EHCP will be exempt but they are very hard to get hold of.

The Labour government are playing upon people’s bitterness and envy towards those who on the face of it are better off than them without having actually properly assessed the impact.

A large number of the parents who do choose private schools sacrifice an enormous amount to give their children their education. It is very short sighted to assume that everyone is rich and can just afford the extra 20%. The schools like Eton who do educate the very rich are very much in the minority. It is convenient that the Labour Party chooses not to acknowledge that.

@AngelusBell

Put the details into the Turn2us calculator.

benefits-calculator.turn2us.org.uk/survey/1/20a3b151-e18d-4517-afcb-b470c9461baf

Bare in mind that that you do not pay
tax on £218 state pension as it's below the personal allowance. If tax is being paid then it's paid on an additional private pension.

In all cases except pension credit 16k in savings will preclude you from means tested benefits like council tax reduction. Unless you get pension credit (the guaranteed element)

But then again if you have 16k in savings I would argue , that you can pay for your own heating.

The government hasn’t said those with an ehcp will be exempt, vat will still be applied in cases where child has ehcp

🤣🤣 thanks, i needed a laugh

YABU

The VAT on school fees is malicious and vindictive. NO OTHER COUNTRY in the world does it. There’s a reason for that and it’s that education should never be penalised.

Taking the winter fuel allowance off my dad who worked from age 16 in manual labour, till he was 70, in the cold and pouring rain, going out at 5am in the morning to beat the traffic, is f*cking reprehensible.

Labour hate anyone who has a penny more than they should. Oh, except those Labour MPs who live in big houses, went to private schools etc. as some pigs are more equal than others.

The laughs keep coming

If you read my post properly then MY HUSBAND doesn’t want to

YABU

Ok, I stand corrected. This makes it even worse

Fair points. About the moaning and the not natural Labour voters

I’ve seen lots of this as well

An example of the bitterness. I’d be interested to know what in depth research you’ve done on the subject

My parents are up in arms about their fuel payments

Fortunately they're comfortably off so it wont harm them

They managed to buy a 5 bed detached house in the 80s for under 100k and live off one average salary

My heart bleeds

All good points. I won’t retire until into my 70’s and then it will only be scaling back hours rather than not working at all. It’s safe to say lm not part of the generation who never had it so good. More the working forever while paying into a pyramid scheme lm on the wrong end of

The moaning about them seems to be never ending

As does the moaning about the moaning and people crowing about how good an idea it is

(neither affect me but I don't believe education should be taxed)

Huge cringe. Good on whoever pointed out it’s not for winter cruises! This is what l mean: doesn’t need it, had it anyway and spends it on a cruise. I have no issue with the people who actually need it, rather than thinking they need it (people are confusing the 2)

Energy bills have risen so much that this isn’t a valid comparison. Four years ago my direct debit was £56 every month, now it’s £130. Once a pensioner has paid tax on £944 a month, £130 on energy and another £130 on council tax doesn’t leave them with much for other bills and food.

It isn't as simple as that. People don't die of hypothermia because the government have cut the winter fuel allowance for non means tested pensioners.

They die of hypothermia for a multitude of reasons. Dementia being chief amongst them.

My good friend was hospitalised last year with hypothermia. This was because she chooses to live in a massive old draughty 5 bed house which costs a fortune to heat.. and she is of a generation who 'just put another sweater on' . When in reality she should sell off a small parcel of land (she has lots to choose from) and have the bloody house insulated and upgrade the 1960s heating. - Or even better - sell it and buy something more sensible.

No shortage of money/assets. This is common thinking amongst the wealthy pensioners here in the SouthWest. No issue with buying a new landrover every 3 or 4 years but for some reason heating one's house adequately is regarded as 'soft' and somehow profligate - then they end up in hospital.

Everyone on here seems to know wealthy pensioners moaning. All the pensioners in my circle (including me) were sharing ideas of how and where to donate their fuel allowances over the last few years. Sharing links to fuel banks or other charities, or giving it to younger family members who needed it.

None of us are moaning, though some of us who have friends who are not so fortunate, are worrying about them. The cut off point is hard to live with when they're literally just £3 the wrong side of it.