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.

The amount of charity public schools supply barely qualifies them as charities. For the majority of their 'service users' there are hefty charges, of which you're all complaining, which is hardly charity.

It's a tax on fee-paying education. There is free education for all so your plea "but they're taxing education" doesn't hold water, I'm afraid.

As for the freemasons comment 🙄 Whoever said they should retain charitable status? If you're bringing the freemasons into it then you've already lost the argument.

I’m bringing the FM it because they are a charity that serve themselves drawing down 80% of all funds for themselves and their families.
People against private schools are so because they claim it’s purely self serving……you see the correlation. Anyone who sees that has hardly lost the plot, what a horrid and uncalled for attack ….. it’s completely unnecessary to name call.

Do you have evidence for your comment re ‘ the amount of charity private schools supply barely qualifies them as charities’. I ask because the Charity Commission see where all funds are going year on year and will not allow a charity to remain so if they do not keep up with the requirements for Charitable Status.

Do you have evidence that I called you names and said you'd lost the plot?

It doesnt matter whether you think they are charities or not, they are charities in law and are audited as such.
Of course Labour are taxing education, they are taxing education supplied in 1 sector.
Once you accept the principle of taxing education then you should apply it fairly to all forms of education otherwise you are discriminating against what you do/do not tax.

There is no tax break, just a new tax. This is a clear example of a distorting and manipulating narrative from Labour hence why I said "Labour lies" because calling it a tax break is massively disingenuous. To bring it in mid year is cruel and unnecessary.
If Labour thinks everything that isn’t currently taxed is a ‘tax break,’ then we are all in BIG trouble.

I completely agree, this is the point which so many people seem to miss. Labour’s policy will mostly damage those that have an important reason to use the independent sector, and already struggle to pay the fees. Labour could quite easily make the policy more reasonable. They could apply VAT at a reduced rate like they do for fuel, or exempt the cost of basic education (say the first £7,500) from VAT. This way, rich parents at the elite schools pay proportionately more tax, and parents at the smaller cheaper schools pay proportionately less.

I quite like the system they have in place in countries such as Spain, Switzerland and Sweden, where the state pays the cost of basic education, and parents are free to top it up at semi-private schools.

@DuckDuckG00se also FYI the Treasury's latest X which uses "tax breaks" language breaks Ethics Guidance for Communications. Precisely because it is a lie.

Nowhere I have said Labour call it a tax break, that's how I've referred to it - we can argue over terminology and semantics all you like (although rather tiresome) but it won't change my stance of support for this change.

Yes, it's unfair to bring it in mid-year but you can hardly argue it was unexpected and that fee-paying parents haven't had time to prepare to some degree.

OK 🤷

Yet you are still wrong in calling it a tax break. Otherwise we are all in receipt of tax breaks purely because we don't pay 100% tax.

Fine 🤷 ...rather tiresome but do you feel better now?

No because we can't afford an extra 3K per year. But if we are going to debate it then at least stop using misleading terms

Well I think this is a good news story. You won’t be broken paying mad fees (that’s an astonishing hike, before the VAT). Your kids will be educated w their peers. Maybe they will bring good things to their new schools - it’s sure that the new schools will bring new opportunities to them.

I value SO much what everyone being educated TOGETHER does that I would happily bear any tax increase that the fullscale abolition of private schools would require of me. I see only good coming from it.

The 3K hike is VAT 🙄

My kids are already educated with their peers. What a strange comment.

You think indy parents will put their kids in sink/poor performing comps? Those in London will choose schools like Starmer + Reeves send their DC to ie metropolitan elite state schools. They will be with the same peers as they would be in Indy schools. Money sticks with money and you are incredibly naive to think otherwise.
If they can't get DC into best state then they will pay for private tutors/appeal.

What about the kids with SEN being forced into state where their needs can't be met? Over 110,000 SEN kids in Indy sector, many started out in state but ended up in Indy due to being failed by state. The problem is that 1 size fits all simply doesn't work and actually fails more than it supports.

Which is unfortunate but it's a risk you take if you pay for a service, any service, but notably public education at a time when the cost of everything is rising.

I still maintain it's unreasonable to hold the government up as some ogre for raising taxes which will (directly) affect those who are financially better off than most but it's fine if you disagree.

I don't believe those paying independent school fees are being treated harshly by the government, nor do I believe (in case it wasn't clear) that independent schools should hold charitable status. While Labour have decided not to remove it for the time being, one lives in hope.

You pay for a service. Those that provide that service are seeing a rise in costs and are passing that cost onto you. It wasn't unexpected, your children have already benefitted immensely and neither their world or yours is likely to collapse as a result.

You're, presumably, unlikely to end up on benefits, your children are likely to still do well educationally. You can no longer afford a privilege, that's all. There are much more important government decisions to worry about.

If they can't get DC into best state then they will pay for private tutors/appeal. Indeed, and their children will hardly be worse off.

Stop gaslighting! The government are implementing a new tax, it isn't the school increasing costs.
Sorry I fundamentally disagree with everything you've said but we simply aren't going to agree on this ever. Maybe because I'm seeing the impact and you aren't.
At end of day it is real life kids being impacted by a tax that will raise hardly anything all for maximum damage. If Labour were truly wanting to raise tax there are many better ways. However we all know how easy it is to spend other people's money.
I hope you would be equally as happy to pay an additional 20% tax on all VAT exempt food then because it's the same principle.

Not worse after having to leave friends behind?
How about the kids in GCSE years who are facing having to re-start some exams because the subject isn't available, or a different syllabus, at the new state schools?
It was mean and spiteful to bring it in mid-year

👏👏👏👏

more than anything said here.
Its not just about mid year either.
A student in their first year of a subject not taught at state either looses an exam completly ( assuming it’s only one subject as mine did many ) and does one, or more less or loses a years tuition on some other subjects that are available in state and has to compete them in less than a year.
Then there’s those students who have taken multiple GCSE subjects not taught at state that find their options very very limited for Alevels.

A new tax such as this should have been introduced slowly ( as Labour were so set on taxing education ) to give students an opportunity to allow for a move that doesn’t negatively impact their choices and education.

Will private tutoring be taxed too?

Having different views from someone is NOT gaslighting.

No it's not in scope

The full-scale abolition of private schools is only an ambition of the radical left and will never happen. This tax policy will actually make private schools more exclusive. If you value everybody being educated together, then what do you think about gender segregation and grammar schools? They no longer exist in almost any other part of the world, but those same countries still have private schools.

Of course it isn't but saying "Those that provide that service are seeing a rise in costs and are passing that cost onto you" and thereby blaming the schools, IS gaslighting because this simply isn't the case. The government are forcing schools to collect VAT on behalf of the government.