Charitable status and private schools

ronib

And LizzieDrip parents with their own companies might be able to pay school fees through their company and reclaim 20 percent VAT so interesting times ahead.
After all the State pays for children of diplomats etc to be educated at boarding schools so can’t see why creative accountants can’t dream up new schemes for companies…. particularly where parents are employed overseas.

Will the Government be exempt from paying VAT on boarding school fees for children of service personnel, those whose parents are posted abroad by the Government etc?
Or will there be a complicated system of one department reclaiming it from another department, ending up costing three times as much as the VAT?

They may be working several jobs to achieve that excess Grantanow - just to give their child what they believe to be the best education, having maybe received little education themselves,

Well let’s hope Starmer has fully costed his policy ….. but of course he hasn’t. It’s all in the rhetoric …..and that’s just one policy.
It’s time to ask the hard questions.

ronib

Well let’s hope Starmer has fully costed his policy ….. but of course he hasn’t. It’s all in the rhetoric …..and that’s just one policy.
It’s time to ask the hard questions.

He will have all the angles covered I suspect. If ever there was a PM in waiting who believed that time spent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted, it’s Starmer.

I would love to see the figures Casdon.

The last Labour manifesto was fully costed, so will this be.

I don’t think it’s about money ronib, I think it’s ideological. Many people in the Labour Party (not all) dislike the idea of independent schools, although they are okay with using selective schools in the state sector such as the ones Tony Blair used.

ronib

I would love to see the figures Casdon.

He won’t reveal his hand at this stage ronib, there’s no advantage to his election chances in doing so, is there?

Well my vote is going to the party which is economically literate and I am under no illusions about Starmer. Show me the evidence.

We have to accept that this is simply not about money. It’s ideological.

maddyone

We have to accept that this is simply not about money. It’s ideological.

I think you are correct

ronib

Well my vote is going to the party which is economically literate and I am under no illusions about Starmer. Show me the evidence.

Do you want to see the economic record of past Labour governments in power compared with the Tories?

Will the Government be exempt from paying VAT on boarding school fees for children of service personnel
The boarding school chunk can not be subject to VAT for any child because it comes under "welfare".
The irony of course is that boarders usually attend the wealthiest of schools who won't suffer anyway. It is the smaller day schools who are more concerned about this.

maddyone

We have to accept that this is simply not about money. It’s ideological.

Indeed.

And IF IF Starmer succeeds in getting us to rejoin the EU, then VAT cannot be applied to education anyway. He would have to unravel all he put in place.
(Though I'm sort of sorry we left, I don't think that re joining is likely).

Casdon I am interested in next steps. Fully costed. Transparent and fair. Not some historical rehash of past government decisions.

There’s not going to be anything yet ronib. The historical context shows that Labour are no less competent than the Tories at managing the economy, but if you’re not interested in that it’s unlikely that anything Labour produce detailing their plans would convince you, is it now?

When the fully costed plans appear, I shall be one of the first to read them. When …. If ….
We owe it to our grandchildren to make sure there’s some future for them. I don’t care who delivers it.

Germanshepherdsmum

They may be working several jobs to achieve that excess Grantanow - just to give their child what they believe to be the best education, having maybe received little education themselves,

Yes, working several jobs does occur in my experience but that may have a long term effect on mental health, the capacity to parent adequately in early years and on the marriage. Moreover, when sufficient excess income cannot be generated for all children in a family to attend fee-paying schools the choice as to who gets the better education is a morally difficult one.

Grantanow

If they have an 'excess', of course.

Indeed.

Amount parents save, don't spend, earn extra is all part to excess.

You're right, it's all a balancing act Grantanow, but independent schools do go out of their way to help busy working parents - providing school pick up transport in the form of mini buses, excellent nutritional meals including early breakfasts, after school clubs etc. The parent does therefore find time to enjoy their child.
There are discounts, though not huge, for 2nd and 3rd siblings in the school.

And of course it’s their choice Grantanow, not something they have to do. I’m not suggesting that working several jobs to give your child a private education is a good thing, but it’s what some choose to do. If they have several children, and can’t afford to send them all to an independent school, then I think it’s better that they all have a state education rather than instil divisions and feelings of being second best.

I agree Germanshepherdsmum that sending all the children to the state school is the right thing to do if the money won't stretch far enough. Too often a fee-paying choice was made in favour of sons. But it would all be morally straightforward if all children could attend high quality, properly funded state education.

Grantanow

Germanshepherdsmum

They may be working several jobs to achieve that excess Grantanow - just to give their child what they believe to be the best education, having maybe received little education themselves,

Yes, working several jobs does occur in my experience but that may have a long term effect on mental health, the capacity to parent adequately in early years and on the marriage. Moreover, when sufficient excess income cannot be generated for all children in a family to attend fee-paying schools the choice as to who gets the better education is a morally difficult one.

Better education? Surely it is the best education for the particular child? That may or may not include paying for all sorts of additional support.

The most expensive private schools have now priced themselves out of the domestic market (apart from bankers) and are filling up with the children of rich foreigners. Would another £10,000 on top of the £50,000 they are paying now deter them? I don't think so.
Whereas another £3,200 on top of £16,000 for a day school might look prohibitive for some families, particularly for two or more children.
I think most comprehensive schools would be delighted to have more pupils from supportive homes where education is considered to be important. The state sector would be enriched.