Why are private school parents punished when they remove a financial burden from the taxpayer?

[FishPhoods]

My DC do not go to private school, if I could afford it I would.

However - this policy makes no sense to me. I'm a TA. The school I work in has huge class sizes and is overstretched.

Starmer is saying that the VAT he proposes to add to private school fees will be channelled into the state education system. However we use the facilities of the local private school (swimming pool, sports fields) two days per week for no charge. If they lose their charitable status we lose access to that.

Also any money gained from VAT will potentially be outweighed by more pupils joining from the local private - or pupils who would have potentially gone but now won't. It costs the taxpayer roughly £8k per year to educate a child in the state system - we won't gain anything like that from VAT to cover the "new" pupils we acquire from the private system.

The way I see it if the rich can afford to or choose to pay for their children's education it's one less burden on the taxpayer. And making schools more expensive just makes them more elitist surely? Financially I just don't see how this makes any sense - is it just a populist thing as people generally feel aggrieved that some have the option of private education when some don't, so it's a way to punish them?

100% agee with everything you’ve said.

It also means the children there on bursary’s will probably lose their places too.

I think it’s great. More for state schools where the majority of kids go.

None of the schools l taught at EVER had access to any private school stuff.

Everyone should have a good education. Not just those who pay.

It costs 6k to educate a child.

It’s buying privilege. When state schools are as good as private, they can have the money back.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow more what for state schools? I can't see there being more money. What they gain from VAT (which let's face it I doubt will be the full amount) will be outweighed by the cost of more pupils?

It's definitely going to make life harder for our struggling state school unfortunately.

Or just abolish all private schools.

Problem solved.

They’re not ‘being punished’, though. They’re being told to pay VAT like any other businesses. Private schools aren’t charities and need to stop pretending to be.

More anything.

Theres no teachers, suppprt staff, materials, buildings falling apart, SEND in crisis. The whole system is collapsing.

And if they can raise money from private schools then good for them. All our children deserve a good education. Not just private school pupils.

I realise we do as a family six activities- sports- that use private school facilities such as pitches, pools and halls in our spare time. I guess they will all go up at least 20% in hire price- either because they will have to pay VAT (as a facilities hire will private schools still have to pay VAT, I guess so) and /or to try to recoup costs.
Most families I know do some sorts of extracurricular activity, at least with their kids, that use some private school ground. I hope they’re ready for the subs increase too.

Whilst Labour plans to charge VAT it is not removing charitable status so you will still be able to use the swimming pool.

This essentially. I am not anti private schools - I went to one and some of my closest friends children attend private schools. But the idea they’re charities is a joke (I know there are some fig leaf activities plied bursaries and outreach like inviting local state schools to use facilities / play in sports festivals). They should pay tax.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow I agree more of all that is needed. I just don't see how this is he answer, I worry it's going to exacerbate the current problems.

Throwing money at state schools doesn't mean they will improve, 40,000 teachers leave the state system every year for reasons other than retirement.

Bullying is rife in many schools with a record number of parents choosing to educate for mental health reasons in the last year.

If labour want to improve all state schools, great - show me an actual plan on how that can be achieved - other than we will recruit an extra 6500 teachers (hopefully) - really? they expect less than one extra NQ teacher per school to fix everything?

Private schools are businesses not charities

If my DH Tree surgeon business weer to offer two nice old ladies free hedge trims ever year, so they could call themselves a "charity " and avoid paying VAT, would that be fair?! It would be deemed ridiculous

It's a long running con and they are not charities they are businesses that are run for profit

I really like this policy. Our education system is crumbling through years of under investment. Private schools paying VAT seems like a good way of generating some much needed cash for our schools.

Only if we an stop pretending grammar schools aren't selective luxuries for rich people living in lovely areas, paid for by the tax payer.
Deal?

How can it exacerbate the problem?

Any amount of money will help state schools. Anything.

If more people can’t afford private schools we’ll so be it. It means less elitism.

Grammars need to go.

I think its great idea

My kids go to private but I work in state.

I'd genuinely be happy to pay VAT on fees if the private schools could pay the money directly to the state schools. But by the time it's gone thru government how much will we actually see to help state schools?

Very little - it is a really stupid policy.

Not at all - we need many more of them.

But super selective grammars in areas only the wealthiest can live don't create elitism? Stop funding grammars (other than FSM) and you'd instantly make huge differences in the levels of most state schools in UK. Imagine how much the state sector would make in those areas with stark rich/poor divides that the grammar system creates!

Not all schools are charities but those that are, like all charities, are prohibited by law from making a profit. The money that they generate has to be used for their charitable purposes i.e. education. They don't have shareholders to distrbitute money to.

There's a lot of misunderstanding about the proposal and the current law.

Why not have more grammar schools and make sure that they are in all different areas impacting different socio-economic groups? This would benefit bright working class kids.

Isn't there a saying, Equality feels like punishment to the privileged? Or something like that?