AIBU to reconsider a long friendship over support for education tax?

[CoconutRumcake]

A close friend of over 15 years last night unashamedly said she supported the children’s education tax. To put this in context, she is godmother to my ds and has seen first hand what damage this has done to children and families as well as her own sister losing her job when the school closed. She had maybe drank too much and has apologised over text this morning, but I really can’t shake the feeling that I don’t want to be around her.
AIBU -try and move past it
YANBU -it’s run it’s time

Don't be silly. She's allowed a different opinion to yours.

People can disagree over politics and remain friends
Depends what your boundaries are

By “”education tax”, do you mean the removal of charitable tax breaks from private schools? Ie that a fee paying school is no longer treated in the same way as an actual charity?

or are we talking about something else?

I imagine she’s talking about twenty percent VAT being added on to school fees @Mumblechum0

I'm guessing the OP is talking about VAT on private school fees.

Yes that's what she means.

It’s not politics though, it’s not some abstract vague politics of envy for her as she’s seen first hand what it’s done to people I’d assumed she cared about. I just spent the evening trying to avoid talking to her, I’m not angry I just think I’m disappointed. For reference, she is a net tax payer herself.

Bonkers.

What has it done to the people she cares about?

There isnt an education tax, I assume you mean VAT on school fees. Thats quite a reasonable opinion, you can end a friendship over anything but if you cant have differing opinions on what should be taxed you might struggle to keep friends long term

No, what removal of ‘charitable tax breaks’ on private schools ? I’m talking about the 20% tax on paying for children’s non state education. You sound a bit like her last night.

It’s not an education tax, it’s the removal of a tax break from pseudo charities that didn’t actually benefit the public (which is the definition of a charity!) Eton is definitely not a charity because 50% of the relevant age population cannot benefit by their own rules to start with!

OP, please start from the beginning and explain to us.
This is obviously so close to you that you think we have more context than we actually do and I certainly won't comment further until I understand what you are talking about.
Are you in the UK?

Yabvu. People are allowed differences of opinion. How would you feel if she cut you off for wanting private schools to be given tax breaks when she thinks the government should spend the money elsewhere?

You think you should stop talking to someone who was so close you named her godmother to your child because she has a different opinion of fiscal policy? You sound like a leftist loon - maybe do her a favour and distance yourself from her.

Do you mean that people who were well off enough to afford private school now have to pay a bit more or, horror of horrors, send their kids to state schools? That’s incredibly entitled of you.

You've got differing views on taxation. Get over it.

What are you talking about? Education is free in the UK.

If you mean stopping the previous VAT break that private schools enjoyed YABVU. I totally sympathise with everyone affected individually but still support the policy as a whole. For every child that has had to leave a private school there are 10 for whom this never would have been an option. So for me it’s about the fairest system overall whilst still accepting that for some it has been incredibly difficult.

Anyway, she’s apologised and she’s allowed to think her own way, so if you’d end a friendship over this you were probably not a brilliant friend in the first place.

Ok, I don't think I understand the situation. I thought it was about private schools no longer being taxed like charities. Do you have a link to an article or something to explain what you mean?

I think OP is saying that her friend supports VAT on private school fees. That her friends family have worked in private schools that have closed (blaming rightly or wrongly that on their shut down) and she is troubled that her friend supports this when her family and those she thinks she should care about have lost their jobs. This is where she says not political, I think OP is responding to her friends perceived lack of empathy and that is what is bothering her.

You’d die in a panic if you had me as a friend, OP. I think private education is completely unethical.

I am a 'leftist loon' as you so charmingly put it (you sound like a right wing arse) and I still think the OP is being ridiculous and vv unreasonable.

So people can only be your friend if the sign up to your list of opinions. ????

It's easy enough to google. The charitable status has not been removed from private schools, but 20% vat is now being applied to school fees.

You can distance yourself a bit from her, OP, if you're not comfortable in her presence, but I wouldn't drop her entirely over this.

You need to get your facts straight. In the past fee-paying schools were allowed to behave as charities and claim 20%VAT back from HMRC/Treasury. Under this gvt, fee-paying schools are treated like the businesses that they are and cannot claim VAT back, any more than State-maintained schools can.

I mean I can barely be bothered to argue with you, but you do realise that private schools were never charities don’t you? And that basically everything anyone buys has VAT charged on it, albeit at a lower rate in some cases. Even sanitary products carried VAT until very recently and toilet roll
still does!