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.

You say that it affects the whole of society because it’s unequal. You say that the number of children attending private school won’t change, so the inequality you believe exists won’t alter.

By your own admission, the policy won’t address inequality. The IFS have said it’ll raise a tiny amount of money. So, what’s the point of the policy? There can only be 1 reason to go ahead with it; to financially punish parents.

The Philippson tweet was a disgrace. It lacked any reality, nuance or kindness. It was all “them and us” and was designed to set one section of society against another. I actually can’t believe the tone - disgraceful.

As for VAT on fees - taxing education is wrong. It’s exempt (and has been exempt) for good reason. The state isn’t ‘funding’ private education and private school parents aren’t receiving ‘tax brakes’. However, surely the question is simple - will the policy provide the funds to make a difference in state schools? No.
Will this policy equalise the playing field in education provision? With catchment admissions policy and grammar schools…NO! So…it’s ideological, meaningless bollox then? Or as displayed by the tweet - a soundbite to incite division.

Now that Luke Sibieta has been outed as BFF of Labour he has deleted his X account! The "independent" IFS report is from a Labour crony

‘As it turns out the caveat-filled report’s only author Luke Sibieta has been close mates for years with the Labour minister responsible for its implementation.
**

Sibieta and Matthew Pennycook lived together in the noughties – Pennycook was even Sibieta’s best man at his wedding.

Details of which have been meticulously scrubbed from almost everywhere on the internet…’

**
🤢🤢🤢🤢
**

It’s not the job of the state to hold up private education.

Just as well that it doesn’t, then.

And yet the opposite is being gleefully cheered on by so many state school parents, some of whom are higher tax payers, who want private school parents to pay for their children’s state education.

twistyizzy · Today 08:50
Now that Luke Sibieta has been outed as BFF of Labour he has deleted his X account! The "independent" IFS report is from a Labour crony

How cowardly of him - was he getting criticism on X or did he delete his account before it could start?

Yes a few on these threads

Before. What does that tell you?

It’s like Phillipson. They can’t defend their position, so shut down/delete any criticism rather than stand up for their principles.

Yep it is right out of Labour's playbook

Who next..

Whoops

Given Labour are happy to let this whole policy rest on the uttering of said Luke S it doesn’t bode well

Labour are spiteful and look like a bunch of cranks over this

It really is poor given it’s children’s education being damaged

Cranks is a great word to describe them. Sad though 🥺

I feel like what they have done to take a big slice of the electorate which might have been majority Conservative but contained a large chunk of Labour and Lib Dem and radicalised it against Labour. It’s a clarion call to oppose this government. It underlines the need to get an effective opposition in place. It’s very dumb politics. You can’t imagine Blair doing this. It speaks to me of a political movement emptied out of ideas to help the country. It has zero confidence it can make things better. It’s only got populism left.

And yet the opposite is being gleefully cheered on by so many state school parents, some of whom are higher tax payers, who want private school parents to pay for their children’s state education.

Yes a few on these threads

Yes and no doubt they are rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of these children getting their just desserts at their new schools for the crime of being posh.

Big fat YAWN...

Sure. Hence you clicked on the obvious thread title

Maybe have a smoothie?

Yeah, it's crazy.

No civilized country taxes people who try and educate their kids.

And as for the countries that try and create a state monopoly on education - that should be a tremendous red flag. Parents decide how to educate their kids, and the state can help facilitate that for the good of children and society, and protects children where the parents are sadly neglectful. They don't tell parents giving their kids a good education that they need to submit to the state's vision of what that should look like because they want everyone to level down.

Labour (not all its members, many of whom remain good people as we Tories are) has to an extent moved from liberal left (free speech etc) to a more totalitarian/ "work" left which is a pity. The one thing I used to feel Labour did quite well was stand up for people to express all kinds of views yet both Tories and Labour have supported some laws very restrictive of free speech in recent years. The oxygen of publicity is always cleansing even if it is the freedom on social media to say things that are not true.

If Labour's VAT on private school fees plan came from this one person it sounds like back to the drawing board might be a good idea. What about giving every parent in the country a £7k voucher to use at private or state which you can top up for example?

What about giving every parent in the country a £7k voucher to use at private or state which you can top up for example?

I've said this several times. It would be fair. The private school parents not using their £7 in state get something back rather than nothing from their taxes. The VAT doesn't then feel quite so hard hitting.

Private schools would hike their prices like whoa though.

I think it was entirely predictable tbh. Kier Starmer is a weak man, who fence sits. He’s more interested in party than country whatever he says. This erratic, scatter gun, populist approach is just trying to keep his party together, much like the Tories before them, which led to Brexit. I think you’re right, we don’t do politics well. Or at least, we aren’t right now and haven’t been for a fair while. Until politicians stop chasing the populist vote and some real grown ups enter the room, this charade will continue.

Didn’t age well did it..

‘But however things turn out for Sir Keir Starmer’s new administration, there already seems a palpable sense of relief in the country that the clown show has finally ended and the grown-ups are back in charge.

As Channel 4’s election night host Krishnan Guru-Murthy put it: “After years of personality-driven and chaotic, shallow politics, we now have a government with a massive majority, widespread internal agreement and no likelihood of massive instability anytime soon.” ‘

https://theqt.online/the-grown-ups-are-back-in-charge/