To have though of a fairer way to fund state education than VAT on private?

[wlakaaf]

State schools are in desperate need of funding.

Money needs raising.

Instead of sticking 20% onto private fees - when those people are already paying 100% of the costs for educating their child, how about this:

Parents of children currently in state schools ought to contribute to their education on a means tested basis. There would be no argument over means, it would be a simple reference to the council tax band of the house you live in. We have bands A-H. I would propose that people in band A-F pay nothing. People in band G pay a fixed charge per year and people in band H pay a higher fixed charge per year.

Keir Starmer has used money to buy a massively expensive house, worth in the region of £2m, in the very tight catchment of a lovely state primary. This is buying privilege, same as buying private education. So why does he get away without paying?

I voted YABU as it would end up being the same middle earner group paying for absolutely everything as it is now. You do realise that just because you pay a higher band of council tax doesn’t mean you are flushed with cash? It would only continue to deepen the divide between low income and high income areas

Oh and I’ll add that the charge should be paid to central govt. to be shared or targeted at the places with the most need. Not to the leafy state school that you have the privilege of sending your own kids to. After all, KS wants private parents to fund random state places. So why can’t rich state parents be asked the same?

I use state schools and I do contribute through means testing. It's called taxes, and I'm happy to pay a higher rate of tax to contribute to good public services for all.

I realise that. But all if it applies equally to the 20% VAT parents in the cross hairs - so why is this different?

OP, you really haven't thought this through, have you?

Education is already funded through council tax and local authorities, except the Tories cut the direct grant and limited the maximum council tax rise.

As evidenced by the many other threads in here, very few people care about removing privilege from those able to pay tens of thousands a year for education.

So the tax paid for things like education through pay isn't enough? So let's increase taxes. Rather than a system which will cost a hell of a lot more to set up, implement and then maintain. This any money gained will effectively go on bureaucracy and pointless public sector jobs rather than education.

Slow hand clap for not understanding how taxation works in the first place and then managing to come up with an idea that's so unbelievably shit, and doesn't solve the problem it's hard to verbalise.

How about private schoolers just pay the VAT?

This x 100.

OMG, taxation (which already covers education) is quite complicated enough as it is, thanks, without adding another layer on! It would be far cheaper and simpler to increase taxes across the board.

Because they can afford to send their children to private school regardless, yet you are assuming that someone who lives in a band G house can afford to pay an additional tax on top of all their other taxes for the privilege of a state education. As PP says, revenue raised from tax does not get ring fenced so it will be frittered away on pointless shit.

They already pay 100% of their kids' school costs.

I'm talking about the other people that are buying privileges - £££££££ houses in the catchments of exclusive state schools. Like KS.

I thought it through in about 2 mins. Which is about the level of thought that has gone into VAT on private education.

Gosh this is getting desperate now. I do have some sympathy for those parents who use every bit of spare money to pay for the education of kids with very specific needs that weren't being met in the state system. But zero for all the others who've chosen that route.
We all pay for education through our taxes. You chose to pay more on top for private schooling? Knock yourself out. Don't drag the rest of us into it, thank you very much.

Council tax is already a rip-off system as a bigger house doesn't mean using more services!

The money needs to come from "the system". E.g. sorting out the NHS and making sure the huge sums of money spent on unnecessary middle management and rip of drug contracts is reduced.

Have you heard about declining birth rates in a generation that can't afford housing?

My area is facing a 40% decline in the birth rate.

I'm sure that extra tax will fix the problem (facepalm).

I'm assuming KS paid a whopping amount of stamp duty on his house, along side the hefty council tax bills?

Not to mention that families locally live in much smaller houses than a similar family a decade ago.

OP what is your objection to simply increasing income tax? Then increased funding can go to schools if the Gov decides that's one of its priorities. Or the NHS if the Gov decides that's one of its priorities. Or defence if the Gov etc etc etc.

The rest of us? You mean (rich) people getting state schooling for free whilst schooling is in crisis? They pay nothing for education. If private people need to pay a 20% surcharge, then the rich who've bought their million pound homes by leafy state schools also need to pay IMO.

I have an SEN kid. Won't bore you with the details - same old same old bullying, not getting help etc. The policy will hit me probably (or maybe even not) for 1 year of sixth form. I am not therefore concerned for myself actually. I am more concerned by the utter lazy hypocrisy of Keir Starmer in his £2m house with the lovely state primary his kids attended.

I think that the last time they upped the top rate of tax, it didn't actually increase tax revenue.

Who cares? His kids are getting educated for free. And loads of rich people like him. Why can't they be asked for money?

This has got to be one of the most self serving posts I've ever seen on MN

I don’t really know what all the fuss is about. The proposal is that private schools will lose their charitable status and therefore not be exempt from VAT. Private schools are not charities so it is about time they lost this privilege.
A private school near me has just announced that is changing their teacher’s pension contribution to only 3% while simultaneously showing off their grand plans to expand their facilities which are going to cost hundreds of thousands. Private schools have plenty of money. They don’t have to pass the VAT onto parents.

That's right. People don't care until it's them in the cross hairs.

Why would anyone care about the rich band G&H people with kids in state school having to pay a contribution then?