'Four in 10 to quit private school under Starmer tax': Should we feel sorry for them? | LBC

[@palbrvn3737]

Classic example of "If you can't afford paying for your own kids - don't have them" only applies to other people's children...

[@mattwest1277]

Love this!!

[@siskinedge]

Perhaps the rich should breed within their means

[@OnyemaechiAmuro]

Forking brilliant analysis 😏

[@BurnCKC]

@@siskinedge I'm pretty sure the majority can afford the additional £2.5k - £3k per year VAT costs.

[@finnogorman5683]

So those depending on this VAT money is being able to support your own kids? You've got it back to front

[@LukeSpires-h2u]

Are we seriously expected to feel sorry for people who can’t afford to put their children into private school? The vast majority of people can’t.

[@vherostar]

The opposite they are asking if you feel sorry for people in private schools.

[@jeezy8360]

Can we all get our violins 🎻 out

[@dh7314]

They need to work harder or get a better job if they can’t afford the extra vat

[@coylezo]

​@@dh7314 😂😂😂 they didn't expect that one to come back to bite them 😂😂😂

[@davidwright7193]

@@dh7314perhaps they could cancel their Netflix subscription, stop buying coffee at Islamophobic whale murder’s or Cafe Pyromaniac, and stop eating avocado toast. That should solve the problem.

[@jujutrini8412]

I feel really sorry for the one who is sending their kids to Spain to an international school. He must be so skint.

[@JoelJoel321]

Ikr. Thoughts and prayers for this model citizen who doesn't want to raise his own kids.

[@bensolo2000]

when he said he would save 40% - hmmmmmm where are they going to live?

[@wolfen210959]

@@bensolo2000 Also, who is going to look after them, feed them, be their interpreter?

[@maxine2798]

@@bensolo2000boarders. I imagine some of these people might be brexiters who made it difficult to get into Europe

[@jake751]

How can they? You can only stay there 90 days and then you have to return fo 90 days.

[@pygmalion1963]

Why should a private school get £25,000 per pupil in government funding while the state school only gets £7000 per pupil

[@petyrkowalski9887]

They shouldnt

[@andypeutherer4218]

Yeah funny that eh

[@Skygrey2943]

Exactly. Though LBC loves this topic as I think most of the people with slots have gone through private school. They don't realise every kid deserves quality education.

[@leekelly9639]

@@Skygrey2943I guarantee that every host on LBC went to private schools, hence why they tend to get pro private educated people on.

[@davidwright7193]

@@leekelly9639 Yep. James O’Brian is the only one honest enough to admit it.

[@Human_Herbivore]

Private schools are businesses and should be taxed accordingly.

[@AAA-we2st]

They are registered Charities

[@Human_Herbivore]

@@AAA-we2st well, they shouldn't be, that's another part of the scam.

[@AAA-we2st]

They were initially meant to be for low income families hence why they are registered Charities, however with time their status hasn’t changed, 20% is still a significant though

[@GargiPatel-sj5ig]

True, all private schools should close! And kids should go to public schools only! That will resolve all issues!

[@Human_Herbivore]

@@GargiPatel-sj5ig not all but old school tie horrors.

[@bobobobobbbbo]

I left the UK in 2006 to move to The Netherlands due in some part to schooling. Our state schools were much better than UK state schools. Better funded. Better results. They still are. Why? Because we don't have a culture of private schools. The upper class - including the royals - go to state schools here. Maybe the UK could learn something?

[@andrewholdaway813]

Let's hope so

[@corvus1238]

Great comment. So true.

[@garymarshall9705]

Fully agree when the politicians and upper class have to use state education you will be amazed how quickly state schools get the funding they need. They should introduce a law that any minister, civil servant etc. must use state service, schools, NHS etc.

[@bobobobobbbbo]

@@garymarshall9705 exactly! The same thing for the NHS and pensions. Everyone is in the same boat. It aligns incentives.

[@smush5653]

Can’t have the kids of the wealthy mixing with the commoner riffraff can we.

[@brianferguson7840]

Why should the taxes of the poor pay for the private education of the children of the middle classes.

[@carolstimpson3799]

Absolutely agree. I’m sick of subsidising the better off. It’s immoral.

[@MrRajrahman]

Private schools don’t take state money therefore they don’t take Tax from poor. It’s why they’re called private schools and not state. Doooh!

[@georgef822]

It doesn't.

[@AB-zl4nh]

​@georgef822 It does. We don't have VAT breaks on private hotels, same applies to private schools.

[@henryburton6529]

Its not middle classes. The vast majority of the middle class don't send their kids to private school.

[@antoncannon7279]

It’s quite sickening when the well off try and sound relatable… But when food and bills go up by more than 40% they have no sympathy for the “poor” You hear comments like “Get off benefits” “Work more hours” “Stop having kids if you can’t afford” 👀 Maybe the middle class should ask themselves, should they stop having kids if they can’t afford to send them to private schools!

[@TuntunGamer]

"Stop buying £5 coffee's " etc, etc. The fact private schools are being subsidised by public tax money is disgusting.

[@jogreeen]

@@seamuspadraigsanders431 the majority of these tories whining will pay the tax and to continue to vote tory, byr tory. 😁

[@royboy565]

​@@seamuspadraigsanders431Nobody knows how many won't pay. The IFS looked at this policy in great detail and their conclusion was only 7%wont pay. Fact is we don't know. The other fact is it's right to do it and it's fair. Businesses should be paying their taxes. A new govt means new policies new priorities.

[@jean-lucpicard5510]

Yeah, always the lower classes that get the boot, but as soon as their is a war on we are called heroes. Until we come back with ptsd and end up on the streets with drug problems they walk past us trying not to make eye contact.

[@petercollins7848]

@@antoncannon7279 Parents who send their children to private schools actually pay twice - once in their taxes, which pays for state education which they don’t use, and then again in private school fees. So many ‘poorer’ people are not ‘net’ contributors to the State’s coffers as they get so much back in benefits. A lot of people who oppose private education are just hypocrites, and a lot who vote Labour talk out of their backsides! (socialist + lifelong Union man).

[@lordofbats3601]

Oh cry me a river

[@tonyharpur8383]

More like a small puddle! With tears of laughter! 😂

[@arghjayem]

@@tonyharpur8383yep, the best bit was the guy who said he went to private school and he’s putting his kids through private school and of private schools have VAT put on them the school can’t afford the bursaries it give to allegedly a third of the kids who go to the school from “poor” backgrounds. 6% of U.K. pupils are privately educated, and we are supposed to not charge VAT on their school fees because in one of those schools a third of the kids come from poor backgrounds that the school won’t be able to pay for if they have to pay VAT? Give me a break!

[@jogreeen]

They will have to continue to vote tory.

[@purplerings1969]

These people are delusional. How the f do these people think they have the right to say they're people who are struggling to send their children to private schools. Do they even know what the word struggling mean? Maybe they should take a look at the people who are really struggling in life.

[@keithd26]

As an engineer, I have come to the conclusion that it is physically impossible to create a violin small enough for this... and even if it were possible, you'd need to manufacture specially made tiny arms to play it.

[@mikeybyrne5806]

I feel as if you should give it a go, tiny violins are about to be in demand.

[@isthatujeebus]

🤣

[@MarkFidell]

Donna in Towcester - "The Liberal Democrats decimated higher education"? There hasn't been a Liberal government in over 100 years, the last one was in 1922, what are you talking about? Are you saying that they were the majority party in the coalition and therefore they should take responsibility in what happened in 2010-2015, because that isn't true either, they were the minority party.

[@bensolo2000]

thats the tory genius! they did it with a minority lib dem and the middle class blames the lib dems!

[@davidwright7193]

The last Lib Dem government was 2010-2015 which trashed the country while Judas Clegg swanned around in a government limo. You can’t disown it now just because your coalition partners are now less popular than anthrax. The last Liberal government without the support of Coalition partners fell in 1910.

[@JaysParrot]

They were in government, minority or majority doesn’t really cut, they joined a government on agreed policies from both their 2010 manifestos. They almost literally signed their names the austerity that has indeed decimated public education.

[@alandraper7901]

@JaysParrot The coalition government learned that austerity doesn't work. There has been non since. Before the pandemic, the economy was sound with record employment. All that changed with its arrival. A lockdown (instigated by Keir Starmer) was a disaster in terms of the national debt, and with the massive interest, it had a serious effect on the British economy. If that wasn't enough, along came the Ukraine war, further damaging the economy and creating a cost of living crises. Once again, Starmer took the stance of blaming the government for everything when everything they did was supported by him in the first place. People have mostly fallen for it.

[@AG-kb7yb]

​@@JaysParrotYes, ignore the major party and blame the Lib Dems.😂

[@GeoffV-k1h]

Anyone who can afford £40,000 per year on a school place should not demanding the state continues to fund them with tax breaks.

[@FocusProj]

£40k is for boarding fees. Day attendance is about £10-13k.

[@BurnCKC]

Not sure where £40k comes from. Even top boarding schools are cheaper than that.

[@Aw4183]

​@@FocusProj a local private school near me charges 8.5k per term just for day attendance. 10.5k per term for boarding.

[@OG-S1158]

@@BurnCKCno they aren’t - I’m a private Ed consultant schools like Eton Harrow Cheltenham and Rugby are about 47,000

[@FocusProj]

@@Aw4183 I am sure, but those prices are somewhere outside London.

[@AB-zl4nh]

Take away their charitable status too.

[@peterloup2302]

Why?? Many Private and State schools combine their teaching at A and S level to lift standards and that is why their Charitable Status has been so succesful until now !! Let''s try and improve the State schools by adopting the workings of the Public/Private sector - longer school days, Saturday lessons ??!!. Exam results of course are not everything - look at Richard Branson or Ben Duckett !!!

[@phil2544]

All these rich people buying privilege. Zero sympathy.

[@BurnCKC]

So clueless. There's plenty of working class kids in private school.

[@weswheel4834]

​@@BurnCKCAnd how does that negate the OP?

[@royboy565]

​@@BurnCKC The average fees for private schools is £17000 and for full board £40000.Yhe average wage in the UK Is about £35000. There are not many working class children in private schools.

[@paulperry8800]

What privilege? Kids from fee paying schools are actually discriminated against, by all the leading universities.

[@paulperry8800]

​@royboy565 but then both parents usually work. And some of them will work 2 or more jobs to give their children the best start in life.

[@Harve6988]

If you want to pay for your kid to be part of a separate class of people, fine. Don't expect me to pay for it though.

[@napahengli]

you will pay for it when further strain is put on the public sector.

[@corvus1238]

@@napahengli You have your head on back to front. It wont cause strain on the public sector, it will make sure that those who have the wealth (and therefore the power) do the right thing to improve state education.

[@napahengli]

@@corvus1238 if a percentage of private school students end up being taken out of private school and put into state schools then yes more strain.

[@blazzz13]

@@napahengli You'd be amazed how quickly state schools would improve if Cameron, Sunak and Boris had to send their children there.

[@napahengli]

@@blazzz13 somehow I don't think the addition of VAT will affect Cameron, Sunak, and Boris's ability to send their children to private schools....think properly about it.

[@phil637]

Private schools are a luxuary and should pay tax on them.

[@napahengli]

at the moment they're holding back further strain on the underfunded public sector, that's not a luxury

[@corvus1238]

They should not exist!

[@FlyingAt30000Micrometres]

@@napahengli No they're not, they're a drain on it, they don't pay taxes that could be used to fund the state sector

[@napahengli]

@@FlyingAt30000Micrometres absolutely, I agree. But we need to build up state school capacity and quality first which is a medium term goal, not something that can happen immediately - whereas slapping VAT will have immediate consequences - at most the next school year. I'm for the eventual abolition of private schools, I'm a communist, but I'm for being smart about it. Further strain is not what the state sector needs right now.

[@knightsnight5929]

@@napahengli So double the VAT on private schools to 40%, remove the charitable status, and rush that extra money into the state sector. If lots of these schools close, (fingers crossed) absorb them into the state sector. Problem solved.

[@ThomasKing19933]

The sooner VAT is applied to school fees, the better.

[@carolstimpson3799]

Private schools are businesses they should not skip out of VAT payments. I have no sympathy for parents who send their children to private schools - it’s their choice.

[@brianferguson7840]

Not only VAT ! Take away their charitable status as well. A school which makes tens of millions of pounds profits every year is NOT A CHARITY.

[@harveysaunders2479]

Public high schools are full to capacity. Where do you suggest we put all these, usually, high performing students???

[@harveysaunders2479]

​@carolstimpson3799 how ironic that we're talking about schools and you go straight to marx

[@MrRajrahman]

So let’s add VAT to all educational services including private nurseries. Might as well make it a level playing field. This policy is nothing but envy tax where the jealous people have no idea what it takes to send a child to private school. They think the parents are driving around in Ferrari’s. It couldn’t be any further from the truth.

[@mattbooth307]

Absolutely zero sympathy for people who send their kids to private school. No-one is "struggling" to send their kids there. Everyone who's ACTUALLY struggling is sending their kids to state schools. And no, you're not doing us all a favour by sending your kids to private schools.

[@XLatMaths]

Wrong on many levels. A lot of parents are indeed sacrificing all but the bare minima to afford the fees.

[@BurnCKC]

So wrong. My dad drove a taxi and my mum worked in a nursery but sent me to Prep school and Public secondary school. They struggled and made sacrifices to do it. All you're going to do is widen the gap even more as only the really rich will be able to send them there.

[@royboy565]

​@@XLatMathsWell that is their choice. No one is stopping them. Just pay the going rate. Simple really.

[@royboy565]

​@@BurnCKCPeople decide what to do with their money. If they chose to struggle to pay for a private school it's their choice. It's a changing world out there. Different govts have different policies and are voted in accordingly. I didn't like the tories freezing people's benefits and not raising the personal tax allowance but that's the way the cookie crumbles.

[@weswheel4834]

​@BurnCKC Weird how they could affor😢d that but most people can't. Did they have the same bills as the rest of us? We're not all just buying Netflix and Ferraris instead.

[@DarrenHannar]

One school system, if private schools were banned you would see a massive difference for the better in state schools

[@BurnCKC]

In some state schools not all. State schools in wealthier areas will be better than poorer areas, just as they are now. My area has state Grammar schools and all that's happened is house prices have gone through the roof because people want to live in the catchment area of those schools, so inevitably poorer families can't move into the area. Do you really think a state school in a leafy suburb won't be better than one in a rough inner city area?

[@OG-S1158]

Why ? And how ? Please explain

[@Dermaa]

More focus in state schools is still a step in the right, as opposed to the distinctly separate schooling we currently have.

[@peterloup2302]

Get real. Just imagine the cost to the nation - the State Education system would collapse and other government budgets would suffer to fund it eg DEFENCE , the NHS and so on .

[@MaShip-tb1lt]

Bring on the Finnish education system. No private schools required

[@alexanderstefanov6474]

And their state schools are probably better than UK private schools

[@KevinSheedy10]

​@@alexanderstefanov6474They absolutely are.

[@jackdubz4247]

@@alexanderstefanov6474That would never fly here. The well off like to feel well off and one of the ways that they can exhibit their superiority over the lower orders is to send their children to expensive schools; where they can network with the children of equally well-off people. That's how British society works.

[@OG-S1158]

You need a minuscule population for the Finnish system to work

[@KevinSheedy10]

@@OG-S1158 Why?

[@EdFormer]

"It's the people who struggle and really make sacrifices on holidays and other things to get their children into these schools" - it really is about time these people had their privilege checked. Many of us haven't been able to afford a proper holiday for the best part of a decade and are genuinely struggling.

[@benatkinson3160]

But what has you not being able to afford a holiday got to do with people choosing where to send their child to school?

[@nicholaswarrington6688]

They can save the money, they just have to eat shop brand food, and stop Netflix, and drinking coffee from shops and stop eating avocado on toast

[@adblocker276]

Yep, stop going on foreign holidays

[@lloyd4301]

Best comment. Bravo!

[@steventmpl1347]

Excellent!!

[@corvus1238]

Nice!

[@stanleyroyd]

Some of these folk have a flat screen TV at home!

[@babsbyrne1464]

My heart bleeds for theses poor rich people and their dilemmas of private education …🤔

[@BurnCKC]

Yeah, because they're all rich 🤦🏽‍♂️

[@royboy565]

​@@BurnCKCIf they can't afford the extra cost or if the school won't help with costs then state school here they come. It's what happens when or if we change govts. They all have their policies and you make your choice. I didn't agree with loads of tory decisions over the last 14 years but just have to grin and bear it.

[@babsbyrne1464]

@@BurnCKC …I’d love you to show me a poor family or a family with both parents on minimum wage that have their children go to private school … 🤪…if your children are in private education and it’s not being paying for by a scholarship …then … the family is rich ..

[@Ozzy1984_]

​@BurnCKC maybe not rich, but going to private school is not a right, and it should not be subsidised. Use public school like the rest of us.

[@fallenhuntercastiel]

No sympathy, why should tax payers subsidise the private school industry. Unfair and instigates a class system at a school level compared to state and grammar makes it even worse

[@TikloKarbon-421]

These wealthy people just need to get used to the idea that they should never have relied on government handouts (in the form for tax exemption) for their children's education. The Tories have exhausted the magic money tree subsidising the rich and its finally time for rational government.

[@crabbitwife5463]

It's a scandal that the presenter congratulates a rich caller for taking his kids out of British schools and send them to Spain to save money on their eduction. How unpatriotic is that. You can be absolutely sure that the rich caller voted for Brexit as he wanted "power" to be brought back to this country and the first opportunity he gets is to abondon his principles over a rise in tax for this children's elitist eduction. Rank hypocracy

[@TikloKarbon-421]

Its always the "patriots" who are desperate to avoid tax and move their money overseas etc.

[@craphead9842]

In some state schools in Spain the parents still have to pay..And its not cheap... So think before you leap, also remember that you will have to speak Spanish LOL.... endof.. Tony cuenca

[@andypeutherer4218]

Tories were never patriotic, they sold off everything the population needs. Greed and selfishness gets us nowhere, never has. Wakey wakey England

[@alundavies1016]

I think that if someone lives in a country with a decent education system, like Spain, they should send their kids to local schools. The world would be a better place if more expats tried to bed themselves in.

[@herbertlongfellow7702]

I thought the presenter was being sarcastic!

[@stenic10]

I'm playing the world's smallest violin

[@alundavies1016]

Violin player eh? Must have gone to Private school!

[@davidwright7193]

It’s too big for the purpose…

[@matthewcook9404]

My heart bleeds for them. Those poor children having to sit in class next to plebs, oiks and common people. 😂😂

[@magnuscarlsson9969]

Just think of how happy the rich posh kids will be when they don't have to sit next to kids with parents who live beyond their means. That should at the very least make this burden easier to bare... 🤣

[@w-james9277]

These poor people who have to send their kids to Spain. They must really be struggling for money.

[@davidbatthews3811]

If he sends his child to Millfield then he is very well off indeed as that is one of the most expensive private schools in the country? It is a bit like someone complaining that they will have to sell their Bugatti? 🤔

[@MrBigSeanno]

Feel really bad for Gordon, who's having to take his kids out of private school and is instead sending his kids overseas to private schools there, nobody thinks of poor people like Gordon when they're struggling to feed their kids.

[@thethinkingcatakaneonormie3527]

WON'T SOMEONE THINK OF THE MILLIONAIRE PRIVATE SCHOOL......what a crock

[@TheJase8566]

He should cut down on Starbucks, avocado toast, Netflix and get a second job delivering food

[@FoghornLeghorny]

The greed of some in this country makes my heart bleed

[@steveosborne2297]

The sooner they go the better ; private school pupils are subsidised at twice the amount that pupils in the state system receive

[@Odysseus-qc7pj]

Private schools receive no government money.

[@Dee78584]

Their parents likely pay substantially more tax into the system too.

[@Odysseus-qc7pj]

@@Dee78584 Indeed, 89% of income tax is paid by the top 10% of tax payers. The majority of people here who believe that they are subsidising anyone are delusional

[@steveosborne2297]

@@Odysseus-qc7pj private Schools benefit by tax reduction schemes that the rest have to pay , charitable status , no VAT and this equates to savings of substantial amounts

[@wesleylang172]

As that last caller mentioned roughly 5% of kids go to private schools. But those 5% then make up nearly 40% of the top universities. Its crazy that the average tax payer is subsidizing this privilege pipeline. Tax them.

[@localreviewking134]

How many Tory MPs are part of that 5% too?

[@Odysseus-qc7pj]

They are receiving no subsidy, because all education services at VAT exempt. Including nurseries, universities, coaches and tutors.

[@corvus1238]

Long past time that private schools were banned and taken into the state sector. Imagine if the movers and shakers had to send their kids to state schools. They would make sure the school system was fully funded, wouldn't they?

[@henresearch]

You are absolutely right 💯 All MPs, the PM and their immediate families should be BANNED from using anything private. No private jets- fly economy. No private healthcare- use the NHS. No private education. No use of privately sourced water. And the country becomes immaculate.

[@Haachy]

Bunch of posh people crying… womp womp! Try not being able to afford heating and food!

[@1porter]

I went to private school. I would never send any children I have to private school. It's an obviously unfair system. Our state schools should be the priority,

[@krob2327]

I agree. But this policy will just make these schools for the oligarchs and international elite. Surely the patriotic thing to do is to widen participation to uk families. Unless starmer is an international socialist that views the natives as beneath him…

[@HolloVVpoint]

You would be doing your children a disservice if you could afford to and don’t. State are in a terrible way and the level of education your children would receive is nearly non-existent to the point that in loads of inner city areas home schooling would be better.

[@Bob-v3g4m]

Private schools are businesses, they have to be taxed... and that money put straight into State Schools.

[@Odysseus-qc7pj]

Charitable status is a separate issue. Education provision is VAT free for all providers and recently this was protected by EU law.

[@Bob-v3g4m]

@@Odysseus-qc7pj All has to change, otherwise all remains the same rotten system.

[@Odysseus-qc7pj]

@@Bob-v3g4m so you do want VAT added to university fees, nurseries, tutors and coaches? Or should VAT just be applied to people you don't like?

[@Bob-v3g4m]

@@Odysseus-qc7pj All businesses have to pay, why not? If the workers have to pay these taxes, why have exemptions for businesses?

[@henryburton6529]

she works 50 hours a week in the NHS - I'd bet every penny I own its not as a nurse or a porter These are loaded people complaining their kids can't go to school with other loaded people because they're being taxed the same as the rest of us. Insane that they'd feel brave enough to complain about it on national radio.

[@1hunna877]

what she failed to say is she’s apart of the corrupt business part etc too right Henry 👍

[@robertnicolae1882]

I have absolutely zero sympathy for these people. They say "it's a choice" as if it's a choice that everyone in this country has. No, it's only a choice for 1% of the population. You think that someone living on a council estate has a choice on whether their kid goes to a private or public school? Listen to the guy who's taking his kids out of private school so he could send them to an international school in Spain, that's someone who's got no understanding of the real struggles which the majority of the population faces

[@SamStone-pg6ix]

State schools are overwhelmed by a plague of issues. No smart,sensible kid ever wants to go to a state school. Pretty much all private schools offer scholarships and bursaries. If your child is simply average, just admit that they are not smart enough. Bright kids are simply not challenged enough in an environment less advanced than a private school.

[@localreviewking134]

One guy speaks about moving his kids to a posh school in Spain, yet 8 million in the UK can`t really afford a week`s holiday to Benidorm!

[@N.B.2022]

I couldn't afford the train fare to London😂 Forget Benidorm!

[@krob2327]

I get that. But starmers world view is to make those cheaper holidays so expensive under climate policies. So everyone except the billionaires has a harder time. I don’t like private schools but his policy will benefit the oligarchs

[@LongDarkTeatimeOfTheSoul]

Nobody’s being ‘penalised’ everybody else pays VAT on everything, if you’re not paying VAT on private schools you’ve had a privilege above other people. Why should you have had that privilege?

[@Odysseus-qc7pj]

Education is VAT exempt. You don't pay VAT on nursery fees, music lessons, tuition, sports coaching or uni fees. This proposal is unfairly targeting one education provider.

[@Given1223]

@@Odysseus-qc7pjbecause private school is a luxury and not a necessity. It should be taxed as such

[@MrBigSeanno]

The fella who was speaking to Lewis just destroyed his own argument over and over. Claiming the schools couldn't afford to to absorb the costs, then went on about how the school goes over the top with spending money on too much staff and having ridiculous facilities, pick a lane lad. Just another rich fella arguing the toss because he's desperate to keep hold of his vast pile.

[@CarlosTehJackal]

Boohoohoo. Welcome to the world the majority of parents live in.

[@viv8117]

What a lot of folk don’t realise is that the state system in the U.K. is such a mess. There are many children with special needs in private schools who would be unable to even attend a state school. Also, state schools are oversubscribed now and say that they cannot take these extra children. My daughter was one of these and I worked like crazy to keep her in a private school and they worked a miracle. I am forever grateful to them.

[@sanchezz4387]

What a shame they will have to use services 93% of kids have to use

[@Backpack85]

Average annual costs for private schools looks to be £15-20k a year - are you really telling me that there's a huge swath of people who can pay that PER CHILD but can't afford a potential extra £4k or so? Worse case scenario these kids go to state school and their parents are able to afford top quality tutors and extra curricular activities that put their kids above the rest of their class

[@busterbuster1641]

Utterly shocking treatment of the wealthy and privileged. How dare they not be subsidised by the British taxpayer.

[@craig3533]

You are not doing it to "take pressure off the system", you're okay with the state sector failing if you aren't suffering from it. Lots of people are suffering, lots of people are working very hard, why should your preferred perk be protected when other peoples kids don't have text books?

[@Odysseus-qc7pj]

Do you mean those text books that are all VAT free, because education as a whole is VAT exempt?

[@andrewgarner9194]

Labour are taking nothing away....they are not adding tax they a simply applying the correct tax

[@Odysseus-qc7pj]

All forms of education is VAT exempt. If you tax independent schools, you should tax university fees, nursery fees, music lessons, sports coaching and private tuition.

[@Dee78584]

I'm sure they'll be applying the correct tax to all sorts of things.

[@Odysseus-qc7pj]

@@Dee78584 So private healthcare, dentistry, books, medicine, food?

[@royboy565]

​​@@Odysseus-qc7pj Essential things like food and medicine (unless you think prescriptions charges are a tax) aren't taxed for obvious reasons. State education is free of tax so there is your answer to avoid paying the vat on private schools. If it means bigger class sizes then the govt will have to build more schools which this present govt have failed to do. It will take time but that's what making decisions means.

[@Odysseus-qc7pj]

@@royboy565 So you will tax university fees, nursery fees, tutors and sports coaches, providers which are in competition with private schools? If you don't charge them you will be breaking the principle of fiscal neutrality which underpins VAT. As for there being a state option I assume you will also apply VAT to private doctors, opticians, dentists and all forms of healthcare as well.

[@orchidhouse297]

My grandaughter was bored in junior school and became a behaviour problem, a real pain and was learning nothing because the work was too easy to bother with. The school was not equipped to cope with a very clever girl. Within a month of being sent to private school, she blossomed, worked very hard, was eager to learn, and the school kept up with her needs. As an ex-teacher I was shocked to see the difference in facilities and equipment and the quality of teaching - no longer exhausted teachers struggling with almost no materials in an over crowded classroom, contrasted with a lively teaching staff, full of enthusiasm, enough finance to provide quality equipment and materials - and working with half the number of students per class. She is now involved with several clubs and music groups, has a string of videos to her name. If ordinary schools were funded and staffed to same level they would be as successful as the private sector.

[@richardvitty1745]

your story isn't an argument for private schools, it's an argument for better funding of state education

[@Petersworld77]

Give you private school fee to her original state school then and let them provide better facilities to everyone, simple.

[@illegalopinions4082]

@@richardvitty1745 Schools cannot be funded to that level. At the end of the day you get what you pay for. Grammar schools were the ones that used to bridge the gap because if you had any level of ability you would be able to go to a school that could cater towards encouraging it to flourish. However apparently the concept that not everyone was of equal ability and the idea that "if everyone received the same opportunity they would achieve the same results" lead to those schools being closed down. Apparently the average person in Britain won't be happy until everyone is as dull minded as they are.

[@Cherrytune386]

Stop private schools! At the very least take away their charity status!

[@corvus1238]

Yes! It's a no brainer. They are elitist and divisive and their existence removes any motives the powerful have to improve schools for every child.

[@alexritchie4586]

The Lanyard Classes are having to make budgetary decisions for the first time in their lives and they're absolutely melting down.

[@localreviewking134]

Yes, they are only taking only 8 holidays this year, instead of the usual 10.

[@Odysseus-qc7pj]

You mean the top 10% of income earners who already pay 89% of income tax? What terrible people!

[@blink93221]

I just went to the shop and demanded they removed the VAT, they told me to get out. If it's a business you should pay VAT

[@Odysseus-qc7pj]

Nothing to do with whether schools are a business. Education services and goods relating to it such as books are VAT exempt. This includes nurseries, universities and tutors.

[@blink93221]

@@Odysseus-qc7pjprivate schools are businesses, All businesses should pay VAT, if people can't afford that then don't send you're kids there. If I can't afford to buy something I don't buy it.

[@prawnee9827]

I really feel for these parents having to pay VAT for a service…..😂😂😂

[@henryburton6529]

Its not middle classes. The vast majority of the middle class don't send their kids to private school.

[@alundavies1016]

Quite, if it’s 5% of kids then the demographic is Upper Middle Class to Upper Class, particularly Upper Class.

[@IMBlakeley]

Exactly.

[@glyngasson8450]

In Finland, which has the best school system in the world, there are no fee paying schools. When the education minister was asked "how do you know what is the best school?", the answer was "the best school is the nearest school". That's the way it should be.

[@IRE59]

Why so much attention for such a small part of the population. Private education is a luxury , no way would you take off VAT off other luxury products. What about students who are failed in the state sector.

[@brianferguson7840]

People who are struggling to feed their own children shouldn't be subsidising the private education of richer people's education 😢

[@samfeenan5890]

They're not...

[@gooner7331]

​@@samfeenan5890 they are by not paying vat

[@tompearce3610]

​@@samfeenan5890as everyone pays tax (customs, fuel, VAT, etc) and private schools get a tax break (VAT and charitable status), it's inarguable that the population is being made to subsidise private education. The population could have better services or less tax if the wealthy weren't subsidised.

[@jujutrini8412]

They are.

[@nelch]

​@@samfeenan5890 they are, see how that works

[@dominicjones9266]

Private is a luxury service, why should it be exempt from tax?

[@andrewturnbull6144]

If you find that you can no longer afford to send your kids to private school... hold your nerve.

[@sirninky]

The best comment I have ever seen!

[@kriissyy09ify]

Need to cut down on the £5 Starbucks coffee's if you ask me

[@MrBizteck]

Tbh Im financially well off and I support making private schools pay.

[@David-nd4to]

Youre the exception, a lot of people who are well off believe theyre above people and should get kick backs and preferential treatment as such, its so pathethic

[@ajwright5512]

I love that this is the most genuinely empathetic "Oh dear" I've ever head from Ferrari.

[@carolstimpson3799]

Yes, it made me feel rather sick.

[@rachelmatthews3070]

I remember him barely managing to sound even vaguely interested when a single dad called in to say he only had a few pounds left for the month and couldn't afford to feed his children even with access to a food bank.

[@Ozzy1984_]

I honestly dont care whether someone can afford private school. Get over it and join the real world. Private schools are a joke and shouldn't even be allowed.

[@craigoneill2216]

What am I listening to 😂different world all together

[@Silver-st2zq]

Well off middle class Tory voters day dreaming of being rich Tory voters with the country house and two cars.

[@Salopian_mumbles]

I'm a scaffolder, have 2 children aged 15 and 11,and live with my girlfriend of 25 years who is mother to our children. I work 45 hours a week on the scaffold and for approximately the last 10 years I've worked a second job each evening for 4 hours and 7 hours every Saturday. My working week has been over 70 hours for the last decade and my Mrs works full time in a call centre also doing as much overtime as she can. I took on my evening and weekend job as I wanted both my children to be educated privately, we have had to make sacrifices to be able to afford it and we have worked so hard to be in the position where we could just about manage to cover the fee for my oldest childs education and my second child is due to start secondary school after the summer. We won't be able to afford an extra 20% if VAT is added which means we will probably have to take the children out and place them in state school and all the sacrifices our family has made over the years will have been for nothing as a Labour government plans to make the cost beyond our means.

[@quickclipsbyjmj]

During Covid, spending on private school children's education wrose by 64% In the state sector, it was cut.

[@gregadair1546]

It is a choice to send your children to private school , get over it. Caller states let’s not have a race to the bottom on private schools 🤣🤣

[@RatluBoogerbag]

Can't these parents just cancel their Netflix subscriptions and stop eating avocado on toast?

[@localreviewking134]

Come on, are you saying they need to sell their villa in the Tuscany too!

[@jordan-kj1bh]

Let’s do one better and completely get rid of private schools in the uk altogether.

[@ChrisSmith-up8nk]

Perhaps these people should cancel their Netflix subscriptions and stop buying coffee so that they can fund their lifestyles. Isn't that what the less well off are told?

[@jeezy8360]

Did nick just say the children will end up being European and speak bilingual? Wow. Is he the same guy who was supporting BREXIT? 🤔

[@jeevesosiris]

Sacrifices like "holidays" one caller said... I would love to be able to go on a nice holiday. I don't even have kids...

[@petermizon4344]

PLUS THEY DONT WANT STATE SCHOOLS TO GET BETTER AS PRIVATE WOULD NOT BE NEEDED

[@foxley66]

My heart bleeds for these folk! Try relying on a foodbank to feed your kids that’s struggling

[@jimmeltonbradley1497]

They are NOT private schools. They are CHARITIES, which operate with all the benefits that come with charitable status. If people want to insist on calling them private schools, then, like all other private businesses in the UK they should pay their proper taxes. But if you try to tell parents that they are, in effect, benefitting from charities, they really don't like it. They think that sort of thing is only for poor people.

[@EpicEchoz]

This is such a Short-Sighted Policy...Imposing a 20% VAT on private schools is not just about hitting the wealthy. It’s an ill-conceived policy that will increase pressure on already struggling state schools, diminish educational opportunities for lower-income families, and reduce innovation in the education sector. This short-term revenue grab will have long-term negative impacts on the entire education system and society as a whole. Currently, 7% of UK students are educated in private schools, which helps reduce the burden on state-funded schools. Private schools save the government approximately £3-4 billion annually by educating students without using public resources. If private school fees rise due to VAT, many families will be forced to pull their children out and turn to the already overburdened state sector. State schools are already facing funding shortfalls, increasing class sizes, and teacher shortages. An influx of students from the private sector will only worsen these challenges, further straining resources and compromising the quality of education for all children. Contrary to popular belief, many private school students are not from extremely wealthy backgrounds. Schools offer significant bursaries and scholarships to students from lower-income families. In fact, 10% or more of their income is often allocated to support these students. A 20% VAT will make it harder for these schools to offer such financial assistance, thereby reducing opportunities for talented children from less privileged backgrounds to access high-quality education. This move disproportionately hurts middle-class families who already stretch their budgets to afford private education. The result will be fewer families being able to access this option, effectively making private schools an exclusive privilege for the ultra-wealthy and exacerbating educational inequality. Innovations developed in private schools often find their way into the state sector, helping raise standards across the board. Forcing private schools to hike fees due to VAT will diminish their capacity to invest in these innovations, reducing the diversity of educational offerings in the UK. It limits choices for parents and students, stifling the flexibility and creativity that are so vital in education. Private schools contribute significantly to social mobility by offering scholarships and bursaries, allowing talented students from less affluent backgrounds to attend. Increasing fees will lead to reduced access, further entrenching socio-economic divides. This move is counterproductive to building a fair and inclusive society. Moreover, private schools are significant employers and contribute to the economy through local spending, infrastructure, and jobs. Higher fees could lead to declining student numbers, potentially resulting in school closures or staff reductions, which will negatively impact the economy. Countries like Singapore recognize the value of private schools and actively collaborate with them. Singapore’s government encourages a healthy balance between public and private education, seeing the private sector as essential for providing alternative educational pathways and attracting international talent. The UK should be following a similar model, not penalizing private schools with punitive taxes that will damage their competitiveness and reputation on the global stage. Singapore spends around S$10,000 - S$12,000 (£5,800 - £7,000) annually per student in primary and secondary education. This is comparable to UK state school spending but delivered in a highly efficient and centralized system. As of 2023, the average government spending per student in state secondary schools is approximately £6,500 per year. For primary schools, this figure is slightly lower, around £5,000 per year. The UK government allocated around £56 billion for schools in England in 2022-2023. This covers teacher salaries, school infrastructure, and other operational costs. Despite the overall budget, many state schools face funding shortfalls. A 2022 report indicated that around 50% of state schools in England were facing financial difficulties, with increasing class sizes and cuts to non-core subjects (like music, arts) being common coping strategies. It is also important to remember that parents who send their children to private schools have already paid income tax on the money they use to pay school fees. Many of these parents are middle-class families making significant sacrifices to afford private education. To impose an additional 20% VAT on top of what they’ve already paid is effectively double taxation and deeply unfair.

[@scketchy]

I was going to write all this out, but it turns out I don’t need to.

[@nathanadler6991]

"Ugh, we'll have to adequately fund state schools... Those povs will get above their station!"

[@ytthrowaway4584]

Are we supposed to feel sorry for them? Diddums.

[@Bluetoothedshark]

Rich people problems.

[@josealexander1674]

I do not have sympathy for the parents who sent their children to private schools.

[@destro1989]

She said she never voted Labour. She works in the NHS so shes clearly a manager of some sort. In at least £60k a year. Deal with it.

[@vylbird8014]

Horror of horrors! Their children might make friends with a filthy commoner!

[@SamStone-pg6ix]

People are forgetting to consider that not everyone who sends their child to private school is rich (neither do they pay taxes.) I know of a family who do not actively work, but have a bursary (research that!) This depends on the child. State schools do not offer enough competent challenges for bright children, and if we send sooo many kids (4/10) there simply will just be overcrowding, essentially creating a new issue in itself. You need to consider the children - changing schools take a big impact on mental health, in turn also increasing NHS waiting times for these mental health issues. I asked a child of the notion to change school (we are forgetting this!) and they said 'I would be flustered, annoyed, angered, flabbergasted, the list goes on...' If your son is not smart enough for private school, admit it. There is no need to tax already low income parents that are simply just covered under the stereotype that 'they are rich' and 'they can afford everything'. Some kids who are SO SMART get 100% bursaries. Does this mean that the very smart kid has to go to a less competent school, and ruin their future? Some kids who need the specialist support of private schools might have to move. Does this mean they will get bad grades because of the impact on their mental health? YES. This is a very one sided argument!

[@stevenduncan5695]

just cancel the Netflix and pull yourself up by your bootstraps

[@annie8118]

I hate this rhetoric that only these people work hard and have aspirations. Grrrr 😤

[@monkeyman367]

Exempt from tax while public schools are crumbling my heart bleeds

[@jamesdenny5078]

If you cant afford it, you dont do it, or you work harder, get a better job, or cut back on expensive coffee. It is literally no different to what you tell people who cant raise a deposit for a house or turn the heating on.

[@kathchandler4919]

Oh my heart bleeds...NOT !

[@jakem1126]

I dont believe for one second that these schools will want to loose 40% of their income (4 in ten students). They'll just have to absorb the cost like any other tax paying business. The reason they're telling parents that the fees are going up is to scare them into voting tory so they can get a nice fat tax break.

[@figuringlifeout1435]

The NHS woman is missing the point you send your kids to private by choice you pay for the other daughter uni by choice let the kid get the student loan if you're struggling that much

[@prendo147]

When you’re used to privilege, equality feels like oppression

[@paulbelcher7059]

What is it the poorest are told ? Get another, better paid job.

[@Sovereign_sparky]

lets nott kid ourselves that going to private schools is about education, its about buying access to contacts to help you further in life, if you want these fancy contacts then pay up.

[@iansadler8944]

I have a little bit of sick in my mouth after listening to this🤮

[@robertjones3189]

Came here for all the sympathetic comments and wasn’t disappointed 😂

[@DLG24]

Poor Spain already looks and feels like Britain.

[@kevinsmarts9953]

Trust me, it does not. The Costa del Sol might but the rest of this beautiful country is absolutely fine.

[@Stephanie-wf6xr]

I really feel sorry for these poor parents. Having to pay more for private school. It is a choice, my family Doctors, teachers and lawyers non went to private school.😂😂

[@jonpritz8358]

Oh how my heart bleeds..We go to food banks & your on a different planet..Not to mention that it's an elitist privilege, while we starve, they crank about paying Value added tax...We play a fortune on every thing we buy & you monne..Get real...😡😡😡