Doubts grow over Labour’s VAT plan for private schools

[Blanketyre]

Article in the Observer here:
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/oct/05/doubts-grow-over-labours-vat-plan-for-private-schools

I must say they've gone very quiet on it.

It’s not okay for anyone too. I assure you there’s more space for private schools to absorb cuts without affecting staff. I’ve worked in both sectors.

They are quickly realising that their ridiculous manifesto pledges to raise taxes aren’t going to raise anywhere near enough, which is precisely why they’re looking at other options (eg increasing borrowing). See this article.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/rachel-reeves-budget-mortgage-interest-rates-b2624561.html

I am actually looking forward to it as yet another Labour pre-election promise and been u-turned on. So nom-doms has been scrapped, they have been told to delay VAT and now investment taxation is going. So really looking forward to how they are going to fund anything

Which is why Labour are saying they’ll invest in state education.

Are they? There’s this poor VAT policy which will not bring in much so they won’t actually have any of these extra funds.

Oh the £2million houses that next to nobody can afford? Your point. The vast majority of the uk population don’t/ can’t live near London or near houses far less value than that. A few privileged people in London squabbling over £2 million pound house catchment areas are of no concern.

And I sit on the finance committee of one and I can assure you there isn't. You're making huge sweeping generalisations which cover our small prep of 150 kids and Eton in the same breath.

Sure in the same way this topic is of no concern apparently

All this policy will do is make those top state more inaccessible

It won’t bring about more for state

It’s a start and every penny counts. Hope there will be much more.

I’d like uni places kept to the percentage of sector ie only 7% of places allocated to the privately educated or bonus UCAS points given to all students state educated with a further amount given to those in poverty or who have experienced hardship.

So are you advocating that people can’t spend their own money to improve their situation and should they decide to do so then others will take it from them?

Your argument would have some credence if both sides were funded by the state but they aren’t. If anything the private school sector has a case for demanding money off the state to balance out the subsidy they currently provide. This is what happens in many other countries where private school parents get income tax relief to reflect the money they are saving the state.

Bonus points given to grammar school kids? Or kids in state schools where cstchment is wealthy MC?

They’re inaccessible anyway to the vast majority who can’t live in those areas. £2 million,£1.5 million,£1 million,£750,000…. all inaccessible.

That would be disastrous for the UK economy as the top overseas universities would hoover up all the top talent from UK private schools.

I didn’t work in Eton. I worked in small schools. Why do you think I moved from state in the first place? (That said, the bullying head of one of them precipitated me leaving teaching, so I acknowledge it’s not all perfect).

You won’t raise money.

Just make good state harder to get in to.

There is plenty of top talent from state schools so no not a disaster. Finally more the state sector would get a look in.

Trouble is that 18 per cent of pupils are privately educated at sixth form…what happens to the other 11 per cent? Then there’s the state schools which far out perform most private schools (like the one my state educated DC goes to). What happens to their pupils?!

You may have said that. The posters I was referring to have implied they want a tax rebate as they believe that they don’t use state education. This is nonsense as everyone uses state education whether they have children or not and whether their children attend state schools or not.

Those areas are like buying on the moon to the majority so not an issue. Those in the £1 million houses pushed out by the £2 million can squabble away, sell up and stay in private .They don’t qualify for any concern.

Non-dom changes aren’t scrapped.
They haven’t been ‘told’ to delay VAT - who would ‘tell’ a government? Other than the King, and I doubt he’s bothered.
What investment tax are you talking about?

I am also massively looking forward to the budget as I’m bored silly with the baseless rumours and misrepresentations. Nothing financial is decided until that comes out.

No, that’s not what I said at all.
Pointless trying to discuss with people whose position is ‘I’m alright Jack’.

Treasury told Labour to scrap nom doms cos it won't bring in any money

They have been advised to delay VAT by: teaching unions, Headteacher union, Accountancy representatives etc.

Treasury? You mean the chancellor? Or the civil servants? Because they can’t ‘tell’ the government to do, or not do, anything. They can advise and give analysis. The government decides.

This thread didn’t qualify for any concern and yet here you are.

Like the Labour gov, you haven’t thought it through.

It sounds great to me as a first step.