To be completely shocked by this - Bridget can’t tell us the impact of the government’s VAT on Education?

[Sasskitty]

Bridget Phillipson dodges question on impact of private school tax raid

As parents and schools complain of chaos, Ms Phillipson refuses to spell out details of the assessment made by the department for education

Bridget Phillipson failed to spell out the full impact of the government’s private school VAT raid, dodging the question when asked about the possible implications for special education schools.

While she said the government has “looked at all of the potential impacts”, her answer failed to provide any real detail on the expected consequences.

It comes as parents and schools complain about the implications of the tax raid, which came into force on New Year’s Day and is expected to raise £1.5bn for the Treasury.

YABU - Bridget Phillipson has it all in hand. She just didn’t feel like answering the pesky question. The point is to piss rich people off. Leave Labour alone, they want nothing but erm oh I’m not sure.

YANBU - Phillipson clearly has no idea what the impact of VAT on Education will be. Nor does she really care as long as she’s seen to be punishing those horrible rich people. Or even better (it seems) the not really rich ones just trying to improve the education of their children as the available state schools were not suitable.

https://apple.news/AO7fcmrzuRaik4stLaPQxwA

(sorry paywall but there’s not much more in the article)

PS. I’ve removed the poll tally, no one needs to see real data. Do they?

VAT on education is ableist and anti feminist and that is why it is constantly discussed on MN. It is not bad actors trying to influence or start threads a.

Anti feminist because how dare women go to work and be successful and send their DCs to private school where they get exercise and music clubs and a broad curriculum? The message is cut your hours, use state schools and stay at home and breed. Not too different to some stuff happening across the pond, after all?

Ableist because numerous people have had to send their DCs with SEND to private schools often funded by huge lifestyle cuts, family help etc.

This policy has always been far more than it may appear to those who think it is a small deal. It is not, it is downright nasty. And it is absolutely right that there has been a huge fight on MN about it. Long may it continue!

And for good order, I am really anti lowering state schools expectations for state school DCs as well (which include my own DC). We all know what happens in this country - undereducate your own and the powers to be will import highly qualified educated people from other countries. Not sure how a Labour Government can try and underestimate their own working classes to this extent. It is wrong. High expectations for all children are fundamental, as well as welfare changes to look out for vulnerable children as well as proper funding for children with SEND. These are investment choices we have to make as a country, long term. For democracy, for the good of all, for stability.
Kids have been failed during Covid, by the NHS, by parents being stressed, by broken families, by society. They do not even get a vote. They have to be put first and protected and that includes ALL kids. Rant over.

‘VAT on education … anti feminist and that is why it is constantly discussed on MN. ’
Thats new one! I reckon it’s ’constantly’ discussed - except is it? When you see all the other 1000 threads on other subjects? - I reckon it come up here because there are lots of private school parents on SM all over making as much noice about this as possible.

losing a tax break isn’t anti feminist.
I just had to pay 20% on getting my leaky roof fixed. I consider having a warm, dry house an essential but as the government see fit to add VAT to building materials etc I just suck it up.

Lots of women work full time, are successful and still can't afford to send children to private school.

I would agree to removing the VAT for SEN schools and, if it was workable, removing VAT for SEN children in standard private schools. If this meant raising VAT even further, say to 23%, for other children, then that would be fine with me as well.

‘Lots of women work full time, are successful and still can't afford to send children to private school.’

Wow. If only there was a completely free ( or already paid for by taxes) option? What about the FT, successful men who can’t afford fees either?
How about all the women, FT, successful who COULD afford private school fees but choose not to?

It's just fiddling while Rome burns really. Let's face it. Labour haven't got a clue what to do about the state the UK is in so they mess about with little policies like this, scaring off anyone who pays a decent amount of tax (the only country losing more millionaires is China and the corresponding tax take) although I see they are doing a reverse ferret on the non-doms and just pandering to chippy socialist people who think stuffing up a few kids educations will solve all our problems. Distracting them with a bit of red meat so they don't bother to use their brains about anything else and instead come on threads about VAT that is utterly irrelevant to them.

We are stuffed and Labour don't know what on earth to do about it.

There was a statistic being thrown around something like the 10,000 millionaires who left were paying 400k tax on average - as much as 500k average taxpayers. So it just was not worth deterring them with inheritance tax on worldwide assets going back 10 years, hence the changes. And reaffirmation towards other countries that we would honour double taxation treaties. And probably also a realisation that encouraging a ton of rich Democrat US citizens to come here may not necessarily be a bad thing, for us.

“How about all the women, FT, successful who COULD afford private school fees but choose not to?”

Well they can offer to pay £10 per day per state school child towards the SEND budgets for all children can’t they?

I have some nice Socialist policies up my sleeve. How about a higher council tax for all those who have the privilege of owning their own home? It is actually fairer to do that. I am all for it to improve services and schools.

Yes. Another chippy policy falls to the Law of Unintended-yet-blindingly-obvious-to-any-reasonable-person Consequences. Labour are so rubbish. If they reverse many more policies Rachel Reeves won't have any dosh coming in to chuck in her (ahem) "£22 billion black hole" and then where will we all be? Although train drivers will be fine I suppose. Which is the main thing for the UK.

You seem to have taken my quote randomly out of context.

What did you think I meant by that?

Why do you think a never ending MN bun fight is of any use? It makes no difference whatsoever. VAT is what it is and going over and over the same arguments won’t make the blindest bit of difference. It is a total waste of time and energy.

@AgathaPanthus - eventually those going ahead with this negligent and harmful policy will be held to account and all online evidence as to its harms, entirely reasonable foreseeable by Joe Bloggs, will be brought in evidence.

I hope this thread at least raises awareness of what a travesty the vat policy is for children with SEN. No thought has been put into safeguarding them whatsoever, and I hey will suffer most.

You really think anonymous MN posts would stand up in a court of law? The level of delusion on these threads never ceases to amaze me.

An inquiry is not a court of law.

If a party would like to pursue a controversial political policy aimed at harming children, then they and those in charge, will be held accountable, if children are harmed, especially vulnerable children.

That's an entirely different matter from endless repetitive, anonymous and unvalidated MN threads though, isn't it?

Crackers!

Irrelevant comparison. It doesn’t cost the taxpayer any money if you don’t bother paying to fix your roof.

Just noticed the non-doms are getting a softly softly approach on their tax. Anyone who thinks this isn't just an ideological policy must have a head full of sawdust. This isn't about getting serious amounts of money from the seriously rich at all.

Plus how will they now pay for all of their 'costed' pledges? These were only ever red meat to their supporters ie "let's go after rich Tories" rather than fiscally sound.
I always said VAT will be decided in court, they are rowing back on so much now eg building new runway at Heathrow now which Starmer voted against while in opposition, cos they tanked the economy etc

.

Not this again. Private school parents really need to stop throwing their toys out of the pram now.

Thank you for posting this! I concur.