AIBU to think that VAT on school fees is the same as paying tax on private healthcare.

[Ourdearoldqueen]

You pay your money, you take your choice surely?

You don't pay VAT on private healthcare. It's VAT exempt, just like how education used to be.

Surely you should get a tax refund for not using public services and making your own provisions, rather than being taxed on them?

Education not taxation Facebook group with legal challenge on VAT

Agree - private healthcare, nurseries and university will fall under the same increase if it goes through.

This.

You’re not comparing the same thing at all. If employers were paying for private school fees for their employees’ children, then yes, that would be similar in the way people are saying, but being taxed on private health insurance provided by your
employer is just income tax payable as it is a benefit in kind.

VAT on school fees is nothing like this. It’s having to pay 20% more for something you are actually buying out of already (heavily) taxed income. And also it’s a massive purchase that you’re already committed to.

The effect of it financially for those people affected is as if the government suddenly decided to make everyone pay 20% extra on their mortgage each month as a homeowners tax or something (only in most people’s cases the school fees are more expensive).

You don’t actually pay VAT on private healthcare fees anyway, so it’s not a good comparison at all.

So the post is irrelevant to you then as I clearly state from an employer, as did the OP.

It’s different because your employer pays for your healthcare. Tax is charged in the same way that you pay tax on your salary. If you paid for the medical insurance yourself, you wouldn’t be paying income tax on it.