Tax on school fees

[CheekyUser]

of course it won’t affect the really wealthy but we have three kids at private school and we are now going to withdraw them all. We will see them through the remainder of this school year and from September we have secured places at local state schools. When the alternative is free why would we carry on drawing down on our mortgage and sacrificing holidays and be taxed for doing so. Let the state pay.

Oh for crying out loud. I wasn't able to edit my post and it auto did 7% not 6%. However the actual figures are 93% + 7% which is why it auto corrected to 7% because that's the figure I usually use.

The point is that this isn’t about raising money for schools. This is about a dislike of private education. That is why the Labour Party has done this. It is the same reason they got rid of Grammar Schools.

Same reason they want to end home schooling and force academies to follow national curriculum. They want every child in state schools, following same national curriculum.
1 size fits all and they don't care if that doesn't suit your child.

Depends what your priorities are I suppose.

You are right. I think that this is a cowardly and vindictive tax. It affects hardly anyone. (Probably less than 4% of the population). Some yes can afford it but it will hurt a significant number who can’t. Not every parent sending their kids to private school has the ‘broadest shoulders’. Many will really struggle to pay and it will affect children who are forced to change schools. If Labour really wanted to raise money for schools they could have increased income tax. That would be fair.

Well If you are very happy with your local school you should have done this from the beginning. Other people would prefer to have a choice when it comes to education and the best for their kids.

The Times have an interesting article right now about how private schools are ‘splurging’ on luxuries while imposing the full 20% VAT on their parents…
It’s almost as if the schools are private businesses charging what they like and spending money how they want. Still, at least the parents who don’t mind being price gouged like this can rest easy knowing that little Oliver and Harriet can improve their golf swing with the new state of the art golf simulator that the school has just bought with parents money…

Is that the best you can do? Oliver is a pretty common name in state schools - there’s three is my son’s primary class alone.

Previous posters who have endlessly made the same tediously unoriginal point usually pick “Tarquin”, perceived to have greater comedy value I suppose.

Here’s a share token for the article you mention so people can read it for themselves.
The golf simulator was in fact paid for by an alumnus donation rather than coming from increased school fees.

But it is absolutely the case that some already elite private schools are going to become more elite and more expensive thanks to the VAT policy. Quite few of us are wondering how exactly this is meant to be a Good Thing.

Private schools splurge on luxuries as VAT introduced on fees

www.thetimes.com/article/449605d4-0729-4b4d-9ac7-edc11c1b0244?shareToken=2ef62e9085c02374c49d723a60915d9a

Theres more than one simulator - and of course perhaps the alumnus insisted that it be spent in a golf simulator rather than - oh anything else that might help out with costs but I suppose if you’re paying for the extras that date schools don’t have you have to dig deep these days. Unfortunately state schools do have sports halls, arts theatres, playing fields, all weather pitches etc etc so private schools are having to get imaginative.
How does one even consider an education and education if one didn’t get the chance to swing at a screen that allows one to pretend their playing Augusta?

They're probably more interested in the availability of a Physics teacher (who studied Physics), a Maths class where the teacher actually speaks to little Oliver and Harriet instead of just dealing with the disruption from little Shane and Kayleigh, and little Harriet being able to use the toilets when she needs to since they haven't been locked due to pupil behaviour.

Enjoy the lazy stereotypes.

School gouges parents while spending a fortune in luxuries appears to be a fact rather than a ‘lazy stereotype’ but if you’re happy to keep paying the fees, then pay the fees.
It’s a free choice.

I absolutely will, thanks.

I'm really happy with how DD's school spend the fees. They're fantastic.

Not hugely keen on bursaries continuing once we're contributing an extra mandatory 20% to the state. But happy to leave the decision of where that line is drawn to the school.

Sadly the locked toilets and disproportionate focus on behaviour management rather than teaching is also a fact in many state secondary schools.

It seems the Labour government has no plan to improve any of this, still less to fund the necessary improvements.

But if you’re happy to believe that 1/3 of an extra teacher per school* will make a meaningful difference to state schools and to keep championing the VAT policy then that’s your free choice I suppose.

*Assuming Labour got their sums right in the first place. It now looks like it would be enough to pay for 1/9 of a new teacher per school. Though it turns out the funds raised aren’t ring fenced for education anyway so will probably just disappear into a black hole.

You know there’s trouble in paradise when even The Times is questioning the costs of private schools.

Actually all it proves is that they will become more elitist as the middle class + middle earners are priced out. Which is exactly what some of us said will happen.

VAT will only entrench elitism and privilege. Indy schools will have to fight harder to attract the only income levels which can now afford them ie truly wealthy. So yes, we will see them become more extravagant as they will no longer have to provide value for money in order to attract middle income earners.

Surely that's obvious?

‘VAT will only entrench elitism and privilege.’

the elitism and privilege that already exists? Boo fucking hoo.

It will entrench it forever
Your "boo hoo" is meaningless. If this is an attack on privilege yet ends up entrancing privilege then what's the point?
The wealthy don't give a crap about your passive aggressive comment.

Once you lose the middle earner demographic then indy schools will just become clubs for the elite prior to their kids embarking on elite careers.
You won't get rid of inequality through VAT, you just make the situation worse.

Look beyond your prejudice for one moment. Up until July there was a good mix of income levels in most indy schools. That is now rapidly vanishing.

What are elite careers?

Politicians, political advisors, hedge fund managers etc.

There’s an irony in people not giving a damn about those who could never, ever afford school fees suddenly looking for sympathy and being up in arms when they themselves or their MC mates are ( allegedly) being priced out…
If you can’t afford it, don’t buy it. Just like other luxuries in life.

How do you know who gives a damn? How do you know how other people vote or what they believe in?
You don't, you just use very lazy stereotypes and sweeping assumptions!

Personally until the ever increasingly distant day state schools are allowed and helped to get their shit together, I'd rather more children have access to private schools, not less. I really wonder who that VAT increase will profit, because it certainly won't be the children, whatever school they attend.

Ah yes, the stereotype of state schools are all shite, except they really aren’t.

Some are, some aren't. It's a postcode lottery hence why some parents choose indy.