Labour’s plans for VAT on Private Schools

[Busydadof2]

The Labour Party has proposed introduction of VAT on private schools.

In the scheme of things the money they will bring in from this is tiny compared with total expenditure on state schools, while it will drive more burden on the state system as some parents leave private schools. I think this is a populist ploy to get traditional Labour voters to vote for what is in any other sense a centrist party.

Have you considered signing this petition to make sure the policy gets scrutinised and the weight of public sentiment against it is known?

Change.org petition: Stop Labour from adding 20% VAT to private school fees and forcing kids to change schools

www.change.org/p/stop-labour-from-adding-20-vat-to-private-school-fees-and-forcing-kids-to-change-schools

Various perspectives from the signatories of this vote come to mind and resonate with our own situation, including this: “I work in a state school with over 30 in a class and oversubscribed. My 2 kids went or go to private schools and we have sacrificed loads to do this. We are NOT wealthy, many of the kids at the school I work at live in bigger houses and have much more disposable income than we do. We chose to send our kids to private school rather than live in a bigger house instead of our semi detached on a main road. We holiday in the UK every year and I work full time. I buy my clothes on the high street or in charity shops. Many parents at the school my kids attend are in exactly the same situation. I agree there are some very wealthy parents there too and the addition of VAT will not even make an impact on them, they will pay it without batting an eyelid. All this will do is push the kids like ours back into an already oversubscribed state system, increase class sizes even more and create a bigger divide as private education will become truly elitist.”

@RustyBear yes, definitely if we moved into the town - it's a large rural catchment. The kids that would miss out are those that can't afford to live in the town. They would end up being bussed to alternative schools. Wealthy parents will find a way to educate their children in a decent school. This policy is likely to make things worse for kids from poorer families around here.

If you think public services are underfunded surely that's an argument in favour of taxing the wealthy to pay for better public services, not against it?

I didn't make an argument against it. I just said it's not enough money to be a magic cure (and some analysis suggests the net figure will be lower in reality).

I'm all for taxing wealth. Actual wealth. VAT on private education is a headline policy not a proper, well thought out, money earner for the state. It's been announced well in advance because Labour knows it will be popular with people who want to see the indie sector hit. I'm sure we'll see the money they expect to generate be allocated to many different causes, the sum total of which will cost far more than they can ever expect actually to receive.

Petition signed
Politics of envy …what a delightful platform to launch your party from. I suppose it distracts the faithful from realising you’ve u turned on everything of worth (Green; remove uni fees etc) by attacking the evil ‘rich’

I have a child in prep and am in favour of this policy ideologically. It is clearly wrong for private schools to get tax breaks.

But as someone with a child moved to private school due to their SEN not being properly catered for in the state sector, SEN is definitely not a red herring. On a personal level it does feel harsh to be hit with so much extra cost we could never have predicted at the outset.

I can’t sign the petition though because I agree morally the change is fair.

Hilarious.
The country is crumbling, people are dying because they can't get hospital treatment, average height of children in this country is decreasing because of poverty, nothing works at all, yet we should prioritise keeping school fees down because "1.6bn is nothing" and "it'll be the death of some private schools".

We can't afford tax breaks for the wealthy at the moment. Have you seen what our national debt repayments look like?

This.

I hate the argument that says someone worked hard to send their child to private school. It assumes people who don't send their child to private schools don't work hard
Most people work very hard just to pay the rent, eat and clothe their children.
Private schools are a luxury and of course VAT should be charged on them. I don't see any reason why the government should subsidise them
There has been some very good research that shows that the money raised will more than compensate for the possible numbers of extra children that may enter the state system as a result

I have started a business from scratch and paid more in tax than you could imagine, so have a perfect grasp on taxation and fiscal policy.

I pointed out that raising the taxable allowance which has been unchanged for years despite inflation, was a policy I believe is right. You grow your way to improvement not tax your way to it.

I will never vote for Conservative again or Labour, but believe the right to vote is sacred. As such I'll vote for change which is drastically needed.

Unless you believe taxable allowances should never be increased, despite inflation.

Commercial growth and importantly investment, can only be achieved with a lower tax economy.

Personally the VAT on schools won't affect my decision to send 3 children Private, but out of principle I feel it hugely unfair to those it will affect, who are already taxed to the hilt to promote a society which rewards those who feel entitled to a piece of other's success.

I get an error message when I click on the link.

I believe that a tax on private education is an attempt at uravnilovka/уравниловка, as pioneered by Soviet Russia.

*Hilarious.
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It’s a rubbish policy built on envy and a desire by Labour to showboat, but that’s the UK for you. In any event, it opens the door to VAT on university fees and similar which I shall watch with amusement. The universities need more money from the government, the govt needs a source of that money, and the only place sufficient funds will come from will be the consumers of the university product. The UK will eventually regret opening that door.

To address ne of the usual arguments - private parents are no more likely to be able to increase the standards and culture at state than the 94% already there. There will probably be an apparent improvement in exam scores but only due to private tutoring on the side - the schools themselves won’t change, so everyone who can not afford tutors will get what they would have got anyway. Possibly along with a healthy inferiority complex if they can’t keep up with the tutored kids.

The cost to the state will increase as the SEN kids come back into the system (and their parents use the money they would have spent on fees on lawyers instead to force provision for their child. Which in turn will take resources from the kids whose parents can’t afford the lawyers - because there won’t actually be any more in the pot to go around. As even Labour keeps saying - there’s no more money. So the fight for a slice will just get harder.

The super rich will either not care or will send their kids to Switzerland instead.

There will be a small increase in people going state, which will just put more pressure on a system with ever fewer teachers and resources. Mega classes at KS3 in the sports hall anyone? I note the teachers are likely striking again this year - and I can promise you that any government concessions will be derisory.

A good many people will just sigh and pay. Education is probably the best investment to be able to exit the country in the future. And unless we suddenly have a national conversation about the need for self sufficiency and the need to make what others actually want, an exit might be what the kids need. The schools themselves will do what they can to smooth out the increases across several years.

DD is likely going private for secondary. She has SEN and is unlikely to cope in the state options (though we will appeal for one to try and get it).

DH and I sat down and did the maths. It looked possible but uncomfortable. Then he got a new job and I’m going for extra responsibilities at with that I’ll take on for an additional stipend. So now we can do it. if it comes to it, we will sigh and pay.

Try the link at the bottom of the post with the image

Luck of birth? Are you aware, as OP said, that many parents work a number of jobs to pay the fees? They do not take out finance for cars and many drive old bangers. They place greater importance on working and saving hard to give their children the best possible education. Anyone could do it, if they wanted to. But its easier to not take the opportunity and bitch about those that do.

Same with your stance on professions. The children take the same exams, private or state. Again, the opportunity is exactly the same for kids that work hard. Don't use this as an excuse. Parents can push their children to revise and pass their exams.

You are aware that if parents cannot afford the fees, they'll be taking up state places?

It worked.

Whether or not you oppose it on principle, the state sector is woefully short on teachers. Class sizes will shoot up. Middle class private school drop outs will gravitate towards better state and squeeze others out. It will be a total own goal on preventing inequality. It will make it so much worse. The actual logistics are clearly a no go.

@SouthCoastDad
I will be voting for Reform UK, who propose sensible tac policy (such as increasing tax free allowances to £20k) which will benefit everyone.

Jealousy is a cancer in the UK.

Your post started well. It actually sounded plausible and I was interested to read what you had to say. Then you fucked it by stating that you're voting Reform UK and implying that the only reason anyone could possibly have an issue with private schools is jealousy. Oh dear.

@SandyWaves ”anyone could do it if they wanted to!” 🤦‍♀️ Do you seriously believe that?? You must live in the most incredible ivory tower if you genuinely believe that just buying an old bangar and not going to Disney is enough to free up the funds to pay for private education!

This is an endless lie put out by the Tories to make sure no one questions the insane tax breaks they sort for themselves and it simply isn’t true.

I’m all for this, it’s an absolute luxury and whilst some parents are struggling to feed their children others are spending thousands on an unnecessary luxury. If you can’t afford private school with the extra 20% on top then maybe you should review your lifestyle, perhaps get a 2nd job, stop paying for TV subscriptions, stop drinking alcohol, don’t have massive TVs etc etc

Do you think the VAT increase will have any effect at all on the parents who struggle to feed their kids? Don’t be so short sighted. Won’t make any difference. All that will happen is poor Johnny’s class size will go from 30 to 40. And the maths teacher will be a DT teacher who limps through as there is no option.

@RedHelenB No state provision offer maths and physics within a 27 mile radius. I find that very hard to believe

Why did you conveniently drop off the third subject the poster stated? Just so you could claim she's wrong. Pointless

@SandyWaves "Anyone could do it, if they wanted to. But its easier to not take the opportunity and bitch about those that do. "

What utter, utter bollocks.

1.6 billion would pay for a good number of STEM teachers to work in the State sector.

Use the new windfall to bring in excellent state teachers, to support them and then watch as the new generation of scientists, thinkers, innovators and inventors grow.

Good teachers are worth their weight in gold. I'd sign a petition for them.

@SandyWaves honestly how out of touch can you get?! There are parents in the U.K. who work multiple jobs just to give their children the essentials let alone private education. If parents have the earning potential to support private education, even working multiple jobs, that's an absolute privilege and luxury.

Your comment that anyone could save to send their child private is at best naive, at worst completely ignorant.

The idea that only high earning parents who send their children to private school care about their education is disgusting.

Also, if all children take the same exams and have same opportunities why not send all children to state? What advantage do you get from private school?

My take on it is this, is that I think the children of parents who can afford to send their children private are no more entitled or deserving then any other child.

I think that an extra £1.6billion a year in tax revenue probably will trickle down to little Johnny. I also think little Tarquin would benefit from being in a state school and mixing with people from all different backgrounds.

@Sausagesinthesky "Class sizes will shoot up."

How many kids do you think go to private school?