VAT on private schools paved the way for disability cuts

[BellesAndGraces]

Charging VAT on private schools was such a vote winner for Labour. Pitted the so called “haves” against the “have-nots” and distracted everyone from the rest of Labour’s policies. Many who couldn’t afford to privately educate their own kids were “full of glee” at Labour’s policy. They didn’t care that many of those parents were sending their kids to private schools to address SEN that were not met in state schools.

Now, Labour is cutting disability benefits, but the divisive nature of the VAT policy may have left the “haves” feeling less inclined to speak out against a policy that disproportionately affects the “have-nots.” Well played, Labour—it turns out they’ve been playing chess while the Tories were stuck on chequers.

If youve decided to send ypur child to state school does that make you a have not now?

I'm just surprised a Labour government is cutting benefits

What a load of old crap.

You really think a very small handful of very privileged people having to pay a bit more for a luxury is the same as wide reaching cuts affecting millions of the most vulnerable people in society?

Is there no depths which some of the upper middle class of Mumsnet won't plumb to try and convince themselves they're the real victims?

I wasn’t a fan of VAT on school fees at all - and I don’t have kids in private school I just think it was a bad policy for various reasons. but I don’t agree with you.

Highest taxes post war under the old government, another £40 billion when Labour came in.

I think people have reached a point where they are unwilling to pay more tax and if services need to be cut to pay for it then so be it.

I too have no shits left for the same reasons.

@BellesAndGraces Christ what a ridiculous statement. You cannot compare the decision to end the tax payer subsidising private schools (which was the net effect of VAT exemption), with policies that impact ill and disabled people. There was no softening up and the 2 issues are unrelated.

No, because I’ve got an extra £36K in my pocket.

I partly agree with this. Taxing my child's education and seeing the glee and malice from the masses at the VAT policy does make me care less about state schools - particularly in Scotland where a lot of the issues are the rubbish curriculum designed by the SNP & the policy of banning permanent exclusions - even for a racist pro-Nazi teen planning a school massacre

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3w1pg65wz7o

Looking at the PIP criteria I think it is perfectly reasonable to not provide extra funds for someone who doesn't reach the threshold of 4 points.

We can't afford the benefits bill and already have a very progressive tax system with high earners paying most of the tax take. It becomes a disincentive to work more hours in high income roles when most of your pay goes to the government and you risk another huge bill if your pension contributions are too high - easier to cut hours and avoid the issues.

@Dropthepilots it’s not a ridiculous statement.

The VAT policy yielded a de minimis amount for the Treasury but it was a popular policy so they went ahead with it. The cuts to disability benefits will likely yield a lot more.

The vast majority of MN couldn’t have given a shit about the impact of the VAT policy on my disabled child because other disabled children do not have access to private schools. I said it was a race to the bottom and here we are - even more disabled children impacted.

That's some inpressive mental gymnastics you've done there.

The VAT policy yielded a de minimis amount for the Treasury but it was a popular policy so they went ahead with it.

I thought posters were saying we will not say the impact yet?

I also didn't support the VAT on private schools

My children are state educated and I wasn't full of glee at the thought of people paying vat on their school fees. Especially when it was to be channelled into cheap school breakfast for which there is very little appetite.

But I think what paved the way for these cuts was taking away the winter fuel allowance for pensioners. When that went through, even when Age UK were forecasting detrimental health effects that would land on the overstretched NHS when it is at its most pressured, and all people could talk about was how their own granny spent it on gin and bingo, then the full apathy for the vulnerable was revealed.

@Upstartled it seems a lot of people
don’t care about these policy decisions until they are directly affected.

I'm not affected by either policy. I'm in favour of both.

Does that make me a 'have' or a 'have not' hater? Or do I just hate everybody equally?

A lot of people did seem to support it tbf, even though it was clearly not going to save any money.

There are no lengths to which the private school hystericals won't reach. Pay the VAT and let it go.

Well, I don't have anything to do with private fees or wfa but I don't think either offers much in return for the disruption, does it? Both seem to be set the tone policies.

Nobody has ever cared about disabled people. Least of all people who send their children to expensive schools. How do I know this?

One of my children (not disabled) had a scholarship and bursary to quite a well known and prestigious school. Whilst she was there, a child with autism joined. The child was bullied and their mums encouraged the bullying and provocation of this child, because if they provoked the child enough they might act up and do something that would get them expelled. They wanted the child out, one way or another.

For this reason and others, I moved my daughter out of the school.

i know it’s a sweeping generalisation, but the sorts of families who have the kind of wealth which enables them to afford expensive private schools don’t give a crap about disabled people.

Thank you, this is basically what it boils down to.

The vast majority of MN couldn’t have given a shit about the impact of the VAT policy on my disabled child because other disabled children do not have access to private schools

Same here. The glee from lots of people that we would have to pay (even when it became clear that the measure wouldn’t bring in much money), the insults about our DC.
It wasn’t the fact that we had an extra tax to pay that did hurt, but the feeling that people were enjoying making us pay.
Well I’m definitely now not going to be up in arms about benefit cuts.

I think people are applauding them until they are directly affected.

I’m sorry to hear your dc has been impacted.

I didn’t support the VAT on school fees for various reasons and I thought that some of the comments aimed at private school parents were unfair.

But saying that you don’t give a shit about people who don’t work because it’s now more expensive to send your child to private school is the reason why some private school parents are so harshly judged by those who can’t afford to send their kids there.

It just makes you sound bitter, snobby and unpleasant.

I have a disability and I believe that some of the benefits need an overhaul. I also think that more needs to be done to get the disabled into work.

But there’s a difference between that and being gleeful at the fact that some benefits will be cut, or to feel sorry for some over privileged snobs who equate cutting benefits with having to pay more tax on Tarquen’s education.

Cry me a river.

Massive reach and a lot of assumptions made.
Youre assuming those with money dont have the problems of the Have nots.
Also not everyone with money feels the need to send their children to private school. Personal choice how you spend yours but asssuming that everyone is just sore because they cant afford it and are jealous of those that can... lol.

The problem is that a lot of the VAT moaners are so entitled that they think paying for fee paying school is a protected characteristic or something 🙄 and seem to be tone-deaf to the idea that they are privileged and by definition are not victims of discrimination of any kind.

But they continue to aim their victimhood at the majority of people who don’t use private schools.