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?

London privilege?

My DD just went on a trip and described a situation where myself and DP are convinced a child didn't have lunch.

Yeah London privilege is to be hungry on school trips because the staff aren't experienced enough in sorting out things like that. The PTA has to remind them.

Ours has made major cutbacks. Classes up to 28, teachers teaching 2 classes at once running between classrooms. don't kid yourself that private schools are papering the walls with £50 notes and using the £20s as bog paper.

SEN will be excempt from the proposed VAT

But siblings of SEN kids won't will they. My eldest has SEN. Youngest went to the same private school, no SEN.

London privilege: a 50% greater than average UK wage to buy houses that cost 80% more than UK average house price
£1300/month greater cost of living than average for a family of 4.
Where's the privilege in that?

My figures may be wrong, but Google suggests there are 1,100,000 Band G and H properties in England. And England’s education budget is £60 billion. If we say 100,000 of these qualify for this charge (which I think is probably an overestimate), the charge would need to be £60,000 to raise budgets by 10%. Seems unlikely

You might aswell change to state school then if your private school is just as bad.

My kid has SEN. I was fucked hard. It wasn't exactly a free and easy choice.

My child also has SEN, they go to a state school. Most people can't afford to send their SEN child privately.

With an ECHP - most kids with mild SEN have no chance in the chaos of the current system of getting one

As I said, I only will pay 1 year VAT on upper sixth, or possibly none at all.

The inequalities between London and the rest of the country are well known. The Tories have done nothing to level up and those privately educating and in London have enjoyed the benefits. Now there will be some polices from a gov that believes in state education. The rest of us have had 14 years of Tory policy.

So sick and tired of rich MNers trashing the state system saying it just isn’t good enough for their children. It’s complete rubbish. You’re buying inequality and you know it.

I totally appreciate that it wasn't an easy choice, but having a choice to send your SEN child private is a massive privilege which most other parents in the same position don't have.

They shouldn’t have one. EHCPs aren’t for mild SEN.

Yes. I think it's shit some people live in overcrowded towerblocks and some in countryside pads. But I don't think you should give your kids a head start by paying for them to have smaller classes, a more focused curriculum and better connections. And I know the university argument will start soon. I don't think that's perfect, but schooling to 16 is mandatory and, honestly, I wouldn't send my child to private school even if I could afford to. It's immoral.

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.

Me too, tbh. They are not charities - that's the nub of it. It's actually bonkers they have been allowed to keep a charity status for so long.

Yes I'm buying inequality and yes I know it.

But I'm talking about the people buying inequality via their house in a lovely catchment. That seems to be OK. But it isn't. I'm paying 100% of my kids' schooling and these people buying inequality are paying 0% of their kids' schooling, but want me to pay 120%!!

Things are only immoral until you find yourself in the situation where it's the best choice available to you for your child.

33% of children in London live in poverty, what benefits are they enjoying exactly??

The base rate of income tax and corporation tax should increase to 30%.

Every supporter of the VAT on private policy seems to want a better state system, so they should be happy to pay for it. Bearing in mind higher tax payers will pay an additional amount of tax too with this. It would raise a fortune overnight, and they can apply this income to education and social care.

The majority of people were helped with furlough, rate support etc through covid and it has to be paid for.

I suppose the socialist mob will insist the "wealthy" should pay even more, to plug the gap.

There are many many areas in the uk where you don’t need to buy an expensive house for a good school. But apparantly they’re not good enough for rich privately educating MNers.

But I'm talking about the people buying inequality via their house in a lovely catchment. That seems to be OK. But it isn't. I'm paying 100% of my kids' schooling and these people buying inequality are paying 0% of their kids' schooling, but want me to pay 120%!!

IT IS YOUR CHOICE

No, my choice was to pay 100% fees. Not 120% fees.

If you can afford to send two children to private school, OP, you are privileged.
Stepping away from free education for all is a horrible slippery slope that we really don't want to head down.

Higher funding in their state schools for one.

All inequalities are not equal apparently.

How about an alternative - the level of VAT payable on private school fees is means tested with the parents in the G & H band houses paying the highest amount of VAT.