Would Labour voters be upset if joining the EU meant they could no longer tax children’s education?

[Blarneyspoco]

Taxing children’s education is banned as part of EU membership. If the U.K. rejoined the EU, would Labour supporters be upset that they can no longer levy the tax or would it be seen as a necessary compromise.

Yep.
By far the majority of people can’t afford it anyway.

I thought troll hunting was banned?

I couldn’t care less about it either way and see it as a tiny issue of almost no importance compared to the great importance of rejoining.

Same here @664eek

Who was troll hunting ? Not I !

Ha I suppose that's an upside of rejoining

Implementation of the tax was number 1 on Labour’s priority list when they first came into Government, so it must be up there for Labour supporters somewhere. Perhaps not and it was more of a personal thing for Reeves and Phillipson.

My question was to PP.

I’m not sure why you are addressing me?

I couldn't have cared less when I voted and I couldn't care less now.

We all have different priorities.

How many people agree with every point on a political party's manifesto when they vote? People tend to prioritise what is important to them.

You really have no idea outside your own personal bubble.

I don’t think it can be termed as that. OP’s last thread ended yesterday and she’s using exactly the same terminology ‘taxing children’s education’ with the omission of the word ‘private’ throughout. The name change is pointless - she’s outed herself.

I'm not a Labour voter but I am left-wing.

I think VAT is an absolute mess as a means of taxing people and needs tidying up, but I doubt it will happen.

I don't like private education. I don't think VAT is appropriate, and I think the carge was implemented badly and hastily, but I support some kind of levy or duty on fees. I know quite a bit about VAT but not about other duties or fees, so can't speak to that.

I would like to rejoin the EU and I absolutely would sacrifice VAT on private school fees if necessary.

OP's attempts to introduce the phrase 'education tax' has a Mean Girls 'stop trying to make fetch happen' feel to it. It's clumsy and boring.

Hello again OP. Have you made it up with your friend yet? Or have you decided a friendship with someone whose views differ from your own is better ended? That was your AIBU yesterday.

Now to your question.

First, a reminder that I am a lifelong Labour voter with Conservative instincts. I very much want a closer relationship with Europe, primarily to increase economic prosperity so the tax take increases from increased commerce and employment,and more people have a better standard of living.

The question of the removal of VAT on school fees is a total non-issue for me in this context. Private education is a luxury and one I was lucky enough to be able to pay for for my DC's sixth form. If people can't afford it, they can't have it. For most families, that's not a problem because there c.32,000 state schools in the UK (and just 2,500 independent schools).

I think you really overestimate how much headspace the vast majority of the population gives to this issue. Other more important issues dwarf this by such a wide margin that if it was unavoidable to tax fees on private schools due to the trade off the country would have to make to rejoining or somehow being closer to the the EU, people would be completely fine/indifferent to that as there are 1001 more important issues they care about.

When people are thinking about the pros and cons of joining or leaving the EU, a tax or not on private schools is not going to factor into anyone’s decision making.

Do you know any Labour voters IRL who could answer your question, OP?

Under Stamer, free breakfast clubs and 'smashing the gangs' were at least as important as VAT on school fees.

I voted Labour. I couldn't give two shits about VAT on private schooling then. And I couldn't now. It's a non issue. And looking back through parenthood, it never was.

Where that puts me demographically I don't know. But I suspect OP and I would be unlikely to be bonding over it.

I thought it must be the same person. Chess with pigeons.

This nonsense again? Using emotive (and completely inaccurate) language like “taxing children’s education” is equal parts hilarious and cringeworthy. If you actually want to debate the subject, at the very least try not to be disingenuous.

Exactly. If you don’t have children, or you haven’t a hope in hell of privately educating them anyway, your vote isn’t going to hinge on whether or not VAT is applied to something only the privileged can afford. And OP consistently fails to note that the VAT burden is placed on the schools themselves. They could choose to absorb the cost instead of passing it on.

OP, people believing that private school fees should be taxed but also thinking that there are more pertinent domestic and international issues meaning they would concede on the former issue for to achieve the latter are completely compatible viewpoints. Almost everyone in favour of the fee tax thinks this.

Useful background. I hadn't seen the playdate thread. Poor DD, who seems to be a instrument of her mother 's obsession with VAT on school fees.

I’m a Labour voting remainer strongly in favour of VAT on private schools. I’d put up with removing VAT on private schools to return to the EU ( can’t have it all)but that isn’t happening any time soon so pointless thread .

Chess with pigeons

That's a new one to me, but entirely appropriate (I had to google this 😊)

You have to love this metaphor and it’s so apt here. For the uninitiated, arguing with a fool is like playing chess with a pigeon. No matter how well you play or how logical your thinking, the pigeon doesn’t understand the rules, so the inevitable result is that the bird knocks over the pieces, shits on the board, and struts around as though it won the game anyway !!

This has now been happening over what’s becoming a tiresome number of threads.

My claim to fame on the previous thread was that I got the last word in 😁

It's not that big an issue for most of us OP. I would happily sacrifice the unearned privilege tax in exchange for EU membership. Don't worry, we'll get you another way.

OP, aren’t you a bit embarrassed about the complete lack of empathy for your position. Do you not see it is because pretty much no one agrees with you?

Sympathy is virtually non-existent for a couple who earn quarter of a million pounds a year between them, not being able to afford private education after the introduction of VAT on fees.

If you are as obsessed about this IRL as you are on here, people will start to give you a very wide berth.