Allow a play date where mum unapologetically supports children’s education tax

[GigglyOrange]

Just this really, our local independent prep school closed due to the education tax earlier this year and has caused absolute chaos for lots of families, including my own. My dd (6) has been invited for a play date with a girl she seems very friendly with and who seems very sweet, but I’ve since found out from another parent that the mum is an ‘unapologetic education taxer’. My instinct is to cancel the play date, AIBU?

I live in the US, where I chose to send my DCs to an RC elementary school and pay the tuition required. I also paid property tax, which supported, inter alia, the local public schools, both elementary and high school. My choice. I didn't get to subtract the price of the private school tuition from the property tax bill.

On top of property tax, there is sales tax and both federal and state tax. Nobody gets a waiver on any of that just because they disagree with spending money on wars or government contracts given to cronies of any particular president, or slush funds for insurrectionists, etc. That's what the voting booth is for.

I had private health insurance when my DCs were all born. This meant I paid the 20% of the charges that insurance wouldn't cover each time. (Health insurance companies don't make money by covering the full cost of delivery). I can guarantee you that unless you pay at least £50k to £75k in taxes annually that you are a net taker if you've had a baby via the NHS.

It's not a tax on education; it's a tax on profit-making businesses.Round our way small private schools were going to the wall with monotonous regularity long before the change in VAT - I can name four of them off the top of my head. Demographic changes, lack of facilities and just poor business models.

😅

Very few businesses will absorb increased costs as it affects their viability, or their profits.

Few local privates make a huge profit. So to absorb the increase they would have to cut their provision somewhere, which may then cause parents to decide its not value anymore and move their child elsewhere, making them less viable and eventually have to close

When oil prices go up, Tesco don't absorb the increase, the government don't help with the increase by cutting fuel duty, we as customers pay more

Yes. It’s affecting dc here. The people who cannot afford the private schools are now applying for their local schools and given they live in the leafy lanes, their local schools are great. This displaces wannabe others.

£220k plus bonuses which have been quite mean the last 3 years, but we have £150k saved for schooling … so doable for 2 kids with sacrifices.

i haven’t been affected because I can’t afford private school, my whole family has been affected because the government imposed a children’s education tax abd the school closed. Friend has lost her job, children’s friendship groups have been split up and two kids moving schools. We are over it, but angry with anyone who still supports the policy and Labour are off the cards for life now.

Because other families are worse off it doesn’t excuse Labour implementing this policy that is lose lose for everyone.

My child had to leave private school because of the vat and I still don't disagree with the tax. I do think the money raised should have been ringfenced for education though, as the government originally implied it would.

Or more likely, all local state schools (even the "leafy" ones) are overjoyed to have the additional kids and displacement rarely/never happens because falling rolls are starting to affect even the schools that previously had tiny catchments and healthy waiting lists.

I'm curious. How has your knowledge of her views on this come up?

Of course it's optional. You can send your kid to a state school where it doesn't apply.

Of course OP isn't. She's enjoying the responses and hopes to get her thread to a 1000 replies.

That is next level virtue signalling. I really hope it’s not true.

I am assuming it is. Not very funny, very contrived and also pretty tedious. Nobody but nobody would behave like this. Cancelling a playdate because of this. Utter nonsense. The O.P needs to try harder if they are trying to be clever/funny/nasty/ as they are just coming across as mental. And I am cringing for them. I can see why their children may need private education if that is the genes they have inherited

I think it has been ringfenced for education, hasn’t it?

How is it virtue signalling? 🤔

They removed the tax breaks for what are essentially private businesses.

Despite this well over 2,000 private schools seem to have survived Labour's machinations? Oh dear. How sad. Never mind.

Frankly I was furious that they allowed them to keep their charitable status.

Yes, go on.

Altruism and being able to see beyond oneself are such unattractive and undesirable traits.

It actually does because the government is there for everyone so SHOULD be to govern in the best interests of the majority not the tiny minority. And yeah, comparable.

It literally DOES matter that others are worse off. That is the entire point.

Of course it hasn’t, there was never going to be 6500 new teachers. This was not about raising money, Once the ex and never to be indi kids are state funded, there isn’t even any money left .

Ah that's good then. I thought they'd backtracked on that part.

The money raised will not go to state education - Labour changed their minds on that one. I believe it’s going to affordable housing instead.

I would love to see the day when state schools really can meet the needs of every single child. Those who believe and insist it does already are very fortunate people.

I don't think, taking all costs into account, that much money has been raised. Even the amount they very optimistically suggested would be raised amounted to a couple pounds per state school pupil, so was never going to make a significant difference. And the reality is they have raises much less, and they spent a huge amount on highly paid lawyers when the validity was challenged, so it's probably at best cost neutral.

Ok so what was the entire point of the policy? Who has benefited? If you use the word equality or equity I will disregard 😀

She speaks!! 🙌 Are you a net contributor in tax?