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

No OP, because unlike you most people understand what they are talking about.

well the whole point about introducing the "friend scenario" is that it's designed to bypass the critical part of your mind that would normally flag up, "hang-on, this is a political debate, do I want to get into this right now?"

the friend was a red-herring to distract part of your mind away from what their agenda actually is... subliminally sneaky, or so they think

but needs to get out of bed very early to catch me out

The bouquet residence! Lady of the house speaking! … I agree with you OP - get rid of this yob friend.

Well it’s not a particularly complex issue, tax children’s education vs don’t tax it.

What are you not getting?? Did you have private education? Because if you did it wasn’t worth it.

TBH if I were her I would drop you as a friend. Your argument is pretty incoherent. Have you been drinking?

Honestly by the majority of your posts and ostrich responses with absolute refusal (despite many posters pointing out where your view is completely flawed) I think your friend would be a lot happier without you in their life so go for it cut them off as they will probably breathe a sigh of relief!

OP hasn't presented her views in a helpful or even polite way at all, but to suggest that the only possible conclusion to arrive at by a person who "understands what they are talking about" is the same as your own opinion is also fairly unhelpful and impolite.

I'd say that a majority of posters on this thread don't fully understand what they are talking about when they continue to characterise all private schools as insanely expensive and all parents who use them as rich and posh.

But I wouldn't go as far as to say that anyone who disagrees with me doesn't understand what they are talking about.

Yes SEN with an EHCP and when the local LA fully funds the placement are exempt from VAT.

All that the peevish policy has achieved is more SEN pupils having to go back to state. State schools are already underfunded therefore this is having a negative on all SEN pupils. So the ‘theory’ all SEN children in the state sector will benefit is not viable argument.

It is very simple indeed

Choose fee paying private education v don't choose it.

Yes, let’s have a look at the education in countries who abolished independent schools. Here’s the list:
Cuba
North Korea
Ethiopia

Two of my best friends voted for Brexit. I am a staunch remainer. I still love my friends.

You’re going to ignore the insults? From what I’ve read it’s you hurling about words like ignorant and thick! The art of debate is obviously lost on you as you are unable to discuss this calmly or even take anyone else’s points on board.

I'm sure you have posted about so called education tax before, with similar venom coming from you

But there does seem to be a lot of misunderstanding about this policy. The amount of comments about charity status and taxing business profits is ridiculous, I genuinely don’t think people realised that it’s a tax on children’s education paid by the child (fee payer) not schools.

I haven’t said that at all. I have posted throughout this thread. I have a thorough knowledge of the private school landscape and how of different financial models in different private schools.
I’m saying in this post that OP is blatantly ignoring what she is being told and refusing to hear it or debate it.

Think that is a general consensus by yourself. The private schools in my area are outstanding on SEND. Yes VAT is paid by business, yet in Europe no VAT is payable on any, State or Private, education. Yet here we have a PM who thinks it would be a good idea to rejoin European? Oh and my children went to state school.

I think those countries probably have other issues affecting their outcomes.

Finland, on the other hand has one of the best education systems in the world. Whilst a small number of private schools technically exist there they are non fee paying.

OP, it is not a tax on children’s education.

if your invoice has gone up as VAT is now charged on the fees then bursaries and scholarships are available, funded from the charitable arm of the school, to offset this is you aren’t able to afford the increase.

it is not a tax on education. It is VAT on an invoice. When you take your Range Rover to be serviced you pay it. When you by a bottle of wine you pay it. When you renovate your bathroom you pay it.

For years women have had to pay tax on products that were a necessity. I opted to buy my kids an education, I never understood why it was exempted from tax. Only my kids benefitted from it. I’d probably have been on your friend’s side, but kept my own counsel.

Ha ha, yes I’m sure they do or perhaps it’s a symptom of the ideology that drives such a policy. It’s interesting that you dismiss countries that have actually banned private schools as irrelevant to the argument, but use a country that hasn’t actually banned them as relevant.

I’m not sure you’re looking at this objectively

Whether you agree with it or not or would like it to have a different name, it is a tax on children’s education. The reason you don’t like to think of it as taxing children’s education is because it’s quite clearly a ridiculous thing for a country to do, yet it has happened.

www.gov.uk/guidance/vat-on-education-and-vocational-training-notice-70130

It's obvious that adding 20% to school fees will harm those who are just managing to pay for education. It doesn't make a difference for people who are properly rich. But it makes it impossible for middle class children to access the best education.
As always, the middle class is fucked and social mobility gets harder.

We understand.

It is VAT which is paid on goods and services. Private schools offer a service which you can choose to purchase and so you pay VAT like on any other service.

I am also pretty sure in most cases the children themselves are not paying the fees.

People do understand what it is, op. And they are ok with it. You may not like that but people do not have to share your view.

It isnt all politics of envy. I can comfortably afford private school. I choose not to because I do not believe in segregating children in education based on their parents ability to pay.

I think most people can see that the benefits of rejoining the EU would outweigh this particular Brexit benefit.