Private schools plan legal challenge against Starmer’s VAT raid
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Private schools plan legal challenge against Starmer’s VAT raid

The Telegraph  

Private schools are drawing up plans to launch a legal challenge against the Government’s VAT raid on school fees, The Telegraph can reveal. Private schools also want ministers to push back the implementation of the VAT policy from Jan 1 2025 to September next year. However, victory in the High Court would rubber-stamp private schools’ concerns that the policy is not fair for certain pupils, and would apply pressure on ministers to grant further exemptions. “We welcome the opportunity to have constructive conversations with MPs, civil servants and the government ahead of the Budget about how to mitigate the impact of VAT on children’s education.” It follows a separate High Court legal challenge brought forward by the law firm Sinclairs on behalf of a mother of a special needs child last month.

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History of this topic

Labour's tax raid on private tuition fees is left in CHAOS - as school heads have been unable to register for VAT on HMRC site
1 month, 1 week ago

Labour's tax raid on private tuition fees is left in CHAOS - as school heads have been unable to register for VAT on HMRC site

Daily Mail  

Labour's tax raid on private tuition fees is in disarray as school heads have been unable to register for VAT on the official UK tax website. It left schools spending hours trying to navigate the system via HMRC’s live webchat, with one adviser even admitting: ‘we don’t seem to have the systems in place’. Keir Starmer and the Labour party's …

Foreign Office asks private schools to offer discounted fees for diplomats' children following Labour's VAT raid
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Foreign Office asks private schools to offer discounted fees for diplomats' children following Labour's VAT raid

Daily Mail  

The Foreign Office has pleaded with private schools to offer discounted fees to diplomats’ children amid Labour’s tax raid. Private school fees will be subject to VAT from January when Labour ends an exemption for the provision of education, Rachel Reeves has said The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office government building on Whitehall in the Westminster district of London in …

Meet the parents taking the government to court over VAT on private schools
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Meet the parents taking the government to court over VAT on private schools

The Independent  

They don’t understand,” one parent, Kathryn, is telling me. Over the last year, Kathryn has been supporting campaign group Education not Taxation, a collective of parents with children in private schools who are challenging Labour’s policy to tax private school fees. I mean, what a ridiculous thing that is – we’re not all Etons and Harrows, that’s the minority.” Until …

What is Labour’s controversial private school VAT raid policy?
1 month, 3 weeks ago

What is Labour’s controversial private school VAT raid policy?

The Independent  

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Parents already turning down private school places as Labour’s VAT policy looms
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Parents already turning down private school places as Labour’s VAT policy looms

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Research shared withThe Independent by education consultants Anglo Schools International …

France and Germany slam Labour's VAT plan for private schools - and warn it could force hundreds of pupils out of international schools
1 month, 3 weeks ago

France and Germany slam Labour's VAT plan for private schools - and warn it could force hundreds of pupils out of international schools

Daily Mail  

France and Germany have attacked Labour's plan to levy VAT on private school fees, saying it could force hundreds of pupils out of international schools. French ambassador Hélène Duchêne warned the controversial tax raid threatened Sir Keir Starmer's attempt to 'reset' diplomatic relations between Britain and the EU Sir Keir plans to remove the VAT exemption on school fees from …

Military families set to be exempt from Labour’s controversial VAT on private school fees
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Military families set to be exempt from Labour’s controversial VAT on private school fees

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Military families are set to be protected from Labour’s decision to …

Special needs children not protected from private school VAT raid, says Bridget Phillipson
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Special needs children not protected from private school VAT raid, says Bridget Phillipson

The Telegraph  

Parents who pay to send children with special needs to private schools will not be shielded from Labour’s tax raid, the Education Secretary has said. Bridget Phillipson said the Government would “draw the line” at exempting pupils with education, health and care plans who have their places funded by local councils. No extra protection Before the election, a Labour spokesman …

Private school VAT raid may exempt military personnel’s children
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Private school VAT raid may exempt military personnel’s children

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The government’s private …

Private school VAT raid may exempt military personnel’s children
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Private school VAT raid may exempt military personnel’s children

The Telegraph  

The VAT raid on private schools could be changed amid a backlash from military families ahead of the Budget, The Telegraph understands. Ministers are understood to be considering various options for military families ahead of the Budget on Oct 30, when the legislation, to impose 20 per cent VAT on private school fees from Jan 1 2025, will be formally …

School VAT tax raid to go ahead in win for Bridget Phillipson
2 months, 2 weeks ago

School VAT tax raid to go ahead in win for Bridget Phillipson

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In response, the Treasury initially failed to confirm that the …

British Army investigates impact of Labour’s private school VAT raid on military families
3 months, 1 week ago

British Army investigates impact of Labour’s private school VAT raid on military families

The Telegraph  

The Government has said it will only exempt children with the most complex special needs, those in receipt of Education and Health Care Plans. Almost 6 per cent of private school pupils in England had an EHCP last year, according to latest Department for Education data. A further 17 per cent – around 100,000 pupils in independent schools – received …

Parents appalled after council asks those trying to move their children to state education from private schools to prove how poor they are
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Parents appalled after council asks those trying to move their children to state education from private schools to prove how poor they are

Daily Mail  

A council was forced to apologise for asking parents moving their child to a state school to provide evidence that they longer afford private school fees. Buckinghamshire Council had reportedly asked parents to prove their financial situation in order for their children to be considered for a state school place because schools 'are full'. Buckinghamshire Council was forced to apologise …

Thousands of armed forces families depend on help into private schools. Labour's VAT raid plan threatens to hit their children hard, writes LORD KEMPSELL
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Thousands of armed forces families depend on help into private schools. Labour's VAT raid plan threatens to hit their children hard, writes LORD KEMPSELL

Daily Mail  

From Cyprus to Somalia, South Sudan to the Falklands, British military personnel are deployed 24/7 around the world to safeguard our national interests. They fight bloodthirsty terrorists and intercept international organised criminals Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities Bridget Phillipson leaves 10 Downing Street More than 4,000 military children receive support for their private education …

Government’s private schools VAT raid ‘could cost taxpayer £1.8bn’
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Government’s private schools VAT raid ‘could cost taxpayer £1.8bn’

The Telegraph  

The free market think tank looked at what would happen if two-fifths of money these parents earn or the hours they work specifically to cover school fees was instead taken as leisure. The study has been published as Ipsos polling for The Telegraph shows that while the public broadly supports the Government’s plan to hit school fees with 20 per …

Eton College tells parents fees likely to rise by 20% over Labour’s VAT plan
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Eton College tells parents fees likely to rise by 20% over Labour’s VAT plan

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Eton College will raise fees by 20% as a result …

Biggest private girls’ school chain raises fees by 12pc over VAT raid
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Biggest private girls’ school chain raises fees by 12pc over VAT raid

The Telegraph  

The largest chain of private schools for girls in Britain has said it will hike fees 12 per cent from January when the Government will begin applying VAT to them. The Girls’ Day School Trust, a group of 23 top private schools in England and Wales, said it would not pass on the entire 20 per cent VAT charge to …

Military families fear being 'priced out' of boarding schools by Sir Keir Starmer's plans to place VAT on private schools
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Military families fear being 'priced out' of boarding schools by Sir Keir Starmer's plans to place VAT on private schools

Daily Mail  

Military families who rely on boarding schools fear they will be priced out by Labour's VAT hike. Military families who rely on boarding schools fear they will be priced out by Labour's VAT hike King Charles III and Prince William stand in front of an Apache helicopter during the official handover in which King Charles III passes the role of …

Private schools at risk of closure over VAT hike already face big budget shortfalls, says Phillipson
4 months, 1 week ago

Private schools at risk of closure over VAT hike already face big budget shortfalls, says Phillipson

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Private schools at …

Fury as Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson says parents were given 'ample warning' about Labour's VAT raid on private school fees
5 months ago

Fury as Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson says parents were given 'ample warning' about Labour's VAT raid on private school fees

Daily Mail  

Labour stepped up its class war on private schools yesterday after the Education Secretary suggested VAT could be applied to school fees as early as January. Independent school groups branded Bridget Phillipson's plans 'needlessly disruptive' and said they could lead to parents having to withdraw their pupils in the middle of the school year. Independent school groups branded Bridget Phillipson's …

Labour private school VAT tax plan could come soon – what parents need to know
5 months ago

Labour private school VAT tax plan could come soon – what parents need to know

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Labour’s plan to end tax breaks for private schools could …

Phillipson blames private schools for ‘pricing out’ middle classes in row over VAT on fees
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Phillipson blames private schools for ‘pricing out’ middle classes in row over VAT on fees

The Independent  

Labour has hit back at criticism of its plans to impose VAT on private schools, blaming inflation-busting hikes in school fees over the years for “pricing out the middle classes”. “I just believe that we need to make sure we’re prioritising public money, and we shouldn’t be giving unjustified tax breaks to private schools, who are their own businesses and …

Budget rules mean private schools VAT raid won’t start before Sept 2025, Labour insiders claim
6 months ago

Budget rules mean private schools VAT raid won’t start before Sept 2025, Labour insiders claim

The Telegraph  

Despite the claims, tax experts have warned that Labour could apply the VAT raid to this academic year if they wanted. The Conservatives jumped on the development, claiming Labour would raise less money than claimed if the private school tax change does not happen in its first year in office. They have to come clean with the British people about …

Labour VAT raid on private schools could harm vulnerable children, warns former Ofsted chief
6 months, 1 week ago

Labour VAT raid on private schools could harm vulnerable children, warns former Ofsted chief

The Telegraph  

Labour’s planned tax raid on private schools could force “vulnerable children” to leave their current schools, a former Ofsted chief has warned. “It is a lot of uncertainty for some quite vulnerable children and it’s really important that thought goes into what needs to be provided and how it is going to be provided to make sure we don’t end …

The real losers from Labour’s VAT raid on private schools? The children
6 months, 2 weeks ago

The real losers from Labour’s VAT raid on private schools? The children

The Independent  

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Labour’s VAT raid will lead to ‘McDonaldsisation’ of education
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Labour’s VAT raid will lead to ‘McDonaldsisation’ of education

The Telegraph  

Labour’s plans to charge VAT on private schools could lead to the “McDonaldisation” of education if schools are forced to make drastic cost cuts, a headteacher has warned. The head of a £22,000-a-year prep school in the West Midlands said Labour’s proposal to add 20 per cent tax on private schools could force them to slim down their curricula and …

State schools report rise in applications amid fears over Labour’s private school VAT raid
6 months, 3 weeks ago

State schools report rise in applications amid fears over Labour’s private school VAT raid

The Telegraph  

State schools have reported a rise in mid-year applications amid growing fears parents will no longer be able to afford to educate their children privately if Labour come to power. Another said: “We have recently had parents who are desperate to send their child to our school as they were jumping ship from a private school they were stretched to …

Military families will be priced out of private schools under Labour
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Military families will be priced out of private schools under Labour

The Telegraph  

The CEA allowance is also available to some diplomatic families, with more than 500 currently receiving support. Last week, Sir Keir Starmer, promised to roll out the VAT policy “straight away” if he wins the election, despite having published virtually no detail on how it would work. The Independent Schools Council on Wednesday called for Labour to allow children of …

Labour’s VAT raid will force private schools to close, education chief warns
6 months, 4 weeks ago

Labour’s VAT raid will force private schools to close, education chief warns

The Telegraph  

However, Labour has given scant detail as to the timing of its implementation, nor the extent of any exemptions, leaving private schools unable to plan their budgets. “Labour hasn’t fleshed out the policy, so we’re looking at tea leaves and trying to work out from different speeches that labour figures have made about what the policy is likely to be.” …

Labour’s private schools tax plans ‘blamed for fall in entries’
7 months, 1 week ago

Labour’s private schools tax plans ‘blamed for fall in entries’

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Labour’s planned tax on private schools has been blamed for …

Labour's planned tax raid on private schools would 'cost more than it saves' for the education system, report warns
9 months ago

Labour's planned tax raid on private schools would 'cost more than it saves' for the education system, report warns

Daily Mail  

Labour would 'damage' the education system with its proposed tax raid on private schools – which would cost the taxpayer £1.6billion a year, a think-tank has warned. Sir Keir Starmer's party wants to introduce VAT on independent school fees, claiming it would generate £1.7billion to spend on state education. Sir Keir Starmer's party wants to introduce VAT on independent school …

Labour’s private school tax raid ‘could cost taxpayer £1.6bn a year’
9 months ago

Labour’s private school tax raid ‘could cost taxpayer £1.6bn a year’

The Telegraph  

Labour’s private school tax raid could cost the taxpayer £1.6 billion a year if it forces a quarter of pupils into the state sector, a new report has found. Sir Keir Starmer’s party has made introducing VAT on independent school fees a flagship policy, claiming it would generate £1.7 billion to spend on state education. In its report, titled Short …

Almost half of voters do not think private schools should be exempt from VAT
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Almost half of voters do not think private schools should be exempt from VAT

The Telegraph  

Adrian James, 50, a former Labour voter from Edinburgh, said Sir Keir Starmer’s tax raid on private schools “smacks of middle-class hatred”. Mr James, an IT manager, said he moved his two children, aged 10 and 13, to private schools after one was bullied and his other child was diagnosed with dyslexia but her state school said she would have …

Labour VAT raid on private schools ‘will displace vulnerable pupils’
10 months ago

Labour VAT raid on private schools ‘will displace vulnerable pupils’

The Telegraph  

An independent schools group has warned that the Labour Party has failed to engage with it over warnings that thousands of vulnerable children could have their education “thrown up in the air” by a planned VAT raid. Julie Robinson, the chief executive of the Independent Schools Council, said more than 95,000 children with special educational needs were at risk if …

Private school parents say Labour's planned VAT raid on fees could force them to work longer hours and take on second jobs
11 months ago

Private school parents say Labour's planned VAT raid on fees could force them to work longer hours and take on second jobs

Daily Mail  

Parents say they will be forced to work longer hours and take on second jobs to afford Labour's VAT raid on private school fees. It is spearheaded by Tony Perry, 46, a NHS data analyst, who launched the campaign alongside dozens of parents at LVS Ascot, an independent day and boarding school in Berkshire, yesterday. The campaign is spearheaded by …

Private school VAT raid will hurt the less wealthy, parents tell Keir Starmer
11 months ago

Private school VAT raid will hurt the less wealthy, parents tell Keir Starmer

The Telegraph  

Parents who send their children to private schools have told Sir Keir Starmer they are “not wealthy” as they launch a campaign against his VAT raid. We have seen him transform.” ‘Hear parent voices’ Mr Perry, who earns around £60,000 a year, said: “As a non-wealthy parent sending a child to private school, I am disappointed by Labour’s determination to …

Private schools offer 'pay now' option in attempt to dodge Labour VAT raid
1 year, 1 month ago

Private schools offer 'pay now' option in attempt to dodge Labour VAT raid

The Telegraph  

Leading private schools are offering parents a “pay now” option to save money on Labour’s planned VAT charge on fees. The Sunday Times reported that schools were telling parents that existing schemes which allow them to pay fees for several years in advance could avoid the tax rise. “We did not encourage parents to use the scheme and we did …

Education unions warn Labour's planned private school tax raid could cost teachers' jobs
1 year, 2 months ago

Education unions warn Labour's planned private school tax raid could cost teachers' jobs

Daily Mail  

Education unions have taken aim at Labour's planned tax raid on private schools, warning it could put teachers out of work. In highly unusual comments from groups that traditionally lean to the Left, union leaders said Sir Keir Starmer's proposals could cost their members' jobs, and have called on the party to reveal the details of the plans. Union leaders …

Labour VAT raid on private schools will cost jobs, unions warn
1 year, 2 months ago

Labour VAT raid on private schools will cost jobs, unions warn

The Telegraph  

Education unions have privately warned Labour that the party’s plan to impose VAT on private schools could cost teachers jobs, The Telegraph can reveal. The TPS is the Government’s defined benefit pension scheme for state school teachers, but independent schools are also allowed to be members of the scheme. Geoff Barton, ASCL’s general secretary, said the “majority” of independent schools …

Letters: Voters see through Labour’s spin on its punitive plan for private schools
1 year, 2 months ago

Letters: Voters see through Labour’s spin on its punitive plan for private schools

The Telegraph  

SIR – Does Sir Keir Starmer really believe that private schools could afford to pay VAT under a Labour government without passing the cost on to parents? Bill Moulding Preston, Lancashire SIR – Labour’s plan to impose VAT on private schools would be a tax on the acquisition of knowledge, the same as taxing the sale of books or other …

Starmer denies ‘attack’ on private schools as he plans to charge VAT on fees
1 year, 2 months ago

Starmer denies ‘attack’ on private schools as he plans to charge VAT on fees

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

Labour to add VAT to private school fees immediately if it wins power
1 year, 2 months ago

Labour to add VAT to private school fees immediately if it wins power

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Labour would add VAT to private school fees immediately if …

Labour’s private schools tax raid ‘will make education more elitist’
1 year, 3 months ago

Labour’s private schools tax raid ‘will make education more elitist’

The Telegraph  

The Labour Party’s private school tax raid would force pupils out and risk institutions closing for good, headteachers have warned, despite Sir Keir Starmer claiming he wants the sector to “thrive”. In an interview with Jewish News last week, Sir Keir said he had no “ideological” opposition to fee-paying education, adding: “We have got fantastic independent schools. Michael Hartland, the …

Labour private school tax raid could cost taxpayers £300m – and force 40,000 pupils into the state system
1 year, 5 months ago

Labour private school tax raid could cost taxpayers £300m – and force 40,000 pupils into the state system

The Telegraph  

Tens of thousands of children will be forced to drop out of Britain’s best schools if Labour brings in its controversial tax policy, a new report has warned. The Institute for Fiscal Studies, a think tank, estimates that Labour’s VAT raid will push up to 40,000 children out of private schools and into state schools – at a cost of …

Public doesn't back Labour's tax raid on private schools, poll suggests
1 year, 5 months ago

Public doesn't back Labour's tax raid on private schools, poll suggests

The Telegraph  

Labour have been accused by private schools of misjudging the public mood with their plans to remove the sector’s tax breaks. According to a poll commissioned by the Independent Schools Council and carried out by Public First, a total of 48 per cent of respondents agreed that private schools should keep their tax relief, including the VAT exemption on fees. …

Labour’s private school tax raid based on ‘flawed calculations’
1 year, 6 months ago

Labour’s private school tax raid based on ‘flawed calculations’

The Telegraph  

Private schools that have built new swimming pools, sports halls, music and drama studios, laboratories or lecture halls could be able to recover VAT that they have incurred on major building or refurbishment projects under the HMRC’s Capital Goods Scheme, it said. A recent survey of parents by the Independent Schools Council found that private schools could lose at least …

Labour's tax plan 'would raise private school fees and risk 200 closures'
2 years ago

Labour's tax plan 'would raise private school fees and risk 200 closures'

The Telegraph  

Hundreds of private schools could be at risk of closure under Labour’s proposal to scrap their charitable status, sources in the independent education sector have warned. Rishi Sunak defended private schools from Labour's attack on Monday, after Tory MPs warned that the policy would make private schools the preserve of wealthy pupils from overseas. “It could indeed cost money and …

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