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

As pp pointed out, your friends views are the majority. You are part of a fairly niche cohort of people still seeing this as a grievous wrong and taking umbridge when people are not showering you with sympathy. Other people in your position have accepted it and paid up (none of us love tax, but moaning doesn't change our liability) or in some cases like a couple of my friends actually agree with it themselves.
I'm guessing your friend didn't simply announce her support for it apropos of nothing, just to upset you. I imagine this issue is your motivating grievance and you go on about it, playing for sympathy, getting all political and belligerent a lot? That's pretty tiresome.
Maybe she just got fed up biting her tongue. You should respect her for being honest to your face.

So you're going to ghost her rather than tell her your opinion of her and why you don't want to be friends with her any more?

You’ve edited out the non-governmental again.

If you have to deliberately misquote to make your point, it probably isn’t a very good point to begin with.

Absolutely, kind of makes me laugh that people blame the government when private schools could have chosen to suck up the cost. Often supermarkets suck up the cost of rises in their arena and don’t pass it on. But no one is cross at the schools… religious establishments have a similar loophole and it’s also wrong.

Did you have to move your children?

Just do normal school and keep your friend.

please don't mention SEN

It would help, but as ridiculous as it sounds we do unfortunately now have one. Don’t worry though, it’s just for children’s education.

Don’t worry though, it’s just for children’s private education so 93% of children are unaffected.

I suspect the children are still at private school - the problem may be that it’s eating into the caviar budget.

Erm yes I do understand, but I don’t know why that’s relevant. I also understand that education is paid for by income tax payers of which I’m one, I didn’t stop paying for state education simply because my children don’t use it. When at independent schools, my children received no educational government funding.
The bigot term could also be applied to someone who , because of their prejudices, supports punitive legislation to prevent a type of education for someones children.

Im talking about children who do not necessarily have an EHCP but ND, often poorly understood at an early age. They are often 'quirky', of the type to be targets for bullies. Talk to any SEN parent about their child being encouraged to fit in more, rather to having their quirky nature accepted and any bullying visible ans swiftly dealt with. Im not criticising state, I used to work in it and many are amazing but the sheer size and busyness of them is incompatible with many kids who are not 'severe' enough to need a specialist setting but just need the quietness a small school can offer.

Absolutely! The vapours over this when actually kids can get a very good education and go on to do great things in via standard education streams.

Has anyone read this? It’s brilliant: Posh Boys: How English Public Schools Ruin Britain by Robert Verkaik

Explains why so much twattery abounds in public life…

Yes the school closed, basically loads of children left particularly in the younger years and the intake was down 40%. It was a pretty horrible time for lots of families.

It is not a special tax on education. It is just VAT like we pay on everything else.

YABU. Silly to get into debate about a topic you disagree on and that you’re emotional about.

The changes have affected her friend(s) or family, but she maintains her views - fair enough. For both of you ‘the personal is political’ but with different views.

I think if you never spoke to this friend again, she's had a lucky escape.

Yes, if you buy education you should pay tax on it.
Same as if you pay for any other service.

I feel very sorry for your kids as you simply can’t understand something basic

it is not a tax on children’s education. VAT is a tax paid by most businesses and private schools are businesses.

schools are provided by Government and funded by them

Private schools have been set up by businesses to provide another option, should people choose to use them.

you are not forced to use these businesses to educate your children. Fully funded school are provided. You are choosing to use a business to provide your kids education, thus paying VAT as you would for any business you would choose to use that pays VAT toHMRC

so stop with your education tax.

Lots did, ours did. It reduced fees so that with education tax included we were up 14% rather than the full 20%. It’s not the big schools who were affected by this, infact they can now claim back vat on big capital projects like swimming pools etc. It’s the small not for profit prep schools who had small reserves are closing and suffering, it’s really shameful what they’ve done to them.

Shameful to pay tax?! The rest of the UK pays tax on luxury, schools are no different. If you can’t afford it then move your kids. Most of the country can’t afford luxury education.

I‘m now convinced that this is just rage bait. In every single post you have omitted the word ‘private’ and refused to acknowledge that private is a choice. It’s not because there is no other form of education available. You have actively chosen to pay for your children’s education instead of accepting state provision - no-one stops paying for state education. Even those who don’t have children still pay, because it benefits us all.

Given that it’s generally only the wealthy and privileged who can afford to pay for private school I can’t fathom why you would think they are entitled to some sort of a discount when literally everyone else pays VAT on goods and services.

Yep. It’s a woeful Labour policy that has only damaged a sector. Pointless.

To the op probably not worth falling out over.

Business or not business, children’s education and vocational training is now taxed. It has nothing to do with a school or training facility, the child pays 20% tax on their education. An education tax, but just if you’re aged 5 to 18. For now.

But making choice 20% more expensive.... Someone might not like the choice of the state schools around. We all know how atrocious the behaviour can be at state comps

The logic about you not stopping paying for state education because your children are privately educated doesn't carry....

There are many employed people without kids - ergo they will paying a % proportion of their income tax to state education because that's how equitable funding of democracy through capitalism works.

and a decent number of these will have private healthcare, but a portion of their tax will also go towards funding the NHS

there's no opt-out of paying for state services, while private education is an opt-in

One is choice by virtue of being in a place of privilege, the other is mandated via law - i.e. enforced by HMRC.

and why would your children receive government-based funding from schools that are set-up as privately funded?