You make a good point. So let's not leave investment to the whims of parents.
It is part of infrastructure.
Yes I agree it’s part of the state infrastructure. I’d have no issue paying more tax for better outcomes for our kids, private schools should not need to exist at all. We need a complete rethink on education to serve everyone, not just the academics.
The IFS report assumes that any reduction in expenditure on school fees - as a result of parents taking their kids out of private education after the introduction of VAT - would simply be redistributed to other areas of consumer spending, thereby maintain overall tax revenues.I have to defer to the Institute of Fiscal Studies over your own analysis I'm afraid ;)
If it's 1.3-1.5bn, then it's 2-2.5% of the schools budget (which is only part of the overall education budget). If that's targeted at, say the poorest 10%, then you're talking about a significant 20-25% boost per pupil. You may assume that it's not going to be ringfenced, but that's the stated policy.
A couple of band 5 nurses at final pay point married to each other will be earning £70k a year, two band 6 mid point £75k. two band 7 at first pay point £86k - there is this misconception that those sending their kids to private school are on serious cash, they really aren’t (some are for sure) but these are the people who will have to take their kids out if they start paying another 20%. Full time child care in this country will run you to £13k a year, if they can then send their kid to private school for the same money it’s not such a hard choice. Yes they go without luxuries like holidays and keep the old car etc.
I have no kids of my own, do I get a refund?
There is more than that that attend MGS, Stockport Grammar, Cheadle Hulme, WGS and MHSG alone. There are about 4,000 secondary schools in the UK and just under 2,500 independent onesI heard today less than 3k kids attend public schools - how many are from UK families rather than from abroad? How often is there more than one child attending? The number of UK votes at risk over what - 600 seats? - there is a miniscule risk
The stench of politics of envy is rife yet again on here.
If I could afford to privately educate my kids I fucking would.
What others do with their children is their own business.
In the meantime I will make sure my kids do their very best to excel at school regardless.
Isn’t the rhetoric nowadays they should be more aspirational and get a better paid job then though…? ;)
I’m assuming more in that bracket would be priced out by impacts due to the mortgage rates over the next couple of years than they would this though surely if they are in that state of having to cut back on luxuries already.
I’d say again though, If it’s a private school that is charging 14k per annum, they won’t pass on the full 20% to the fee payers.
You’re right that the cost of living increases are going to bring in added pressure and this on top would push them over.
You’ve given Starmer his reason for a u-turn now ;)