Delayed VAT on school fees looks inevitable

[sherbsy]

I've already decided I won't be sending my DCs to independent school but it looks as though Labour are having to delay (maybe even cancel entirely) their plans for VAT on school fees.

https://x.com/alexwickham/status/1843193788518260815

Apparently schools can't register for VAT until it becomes law so having 2 months (of which 2 are Christmas holidays) to register and understand the processes involved isn't really possible.

I guess this goes to show that they never really did a great deal of thinking about this policy.

I think they are hell bent on getting it implemented in January. But they really are going to look incompetent rushing it through against all the experts advice and the inevitable chaos ensues. It would be far more sensible to delay until Sept 2025 and make sure it's implemented properly. The fall out from a rush job will risk them having to cancel it completely.

In my opinion they should bring it in in September 2025 and exempt years 6, 11 and 13 for the first year. (Maybe year 6 is a bit generous). That way anyone leaving can give in their notice on time and no one will have to be disrupted for major exams (and possibly the last year of primary school). I don’t like it as a policy but it was on the manefesto and at least give everyone enough notice and time to get ducks in a row.

This is excellent news.

Perhaps they can now also take the time to actually strategise and plan how to improve the state schools for the vast majority of our country's children.

All this shooting from the hip is sheer incompetence.

IMHO, I hope they do just force it through so it stops all the questions and secong-guessing.

Agree it’s incompetence and worse as it relates to children’s education

I’m not sure it will be delayed though which is a pity, it should be or scrapped even

What will be a terrible look is if they go back on private equity and non dom plans, but throw DCs with SEND in private schools under the bus!

Idk I’d love you to be right but the juvenile posting from Phillipson just shows how much they see it as a get those dc policy

And they’ve rowed back on so much this would be the final flagship policy

I really feel for dc caught up in their incompetence

HMRC self assessment tax deadline is 31st January isn't it? They are going to have a busy month!

That would be the sensible way to implement the policy.

Author of report used by Labour to defend VAT raid warns that as many as 90,000 pupils could switch to state schools….

WTF?