Families launch legal action over government’s private school fees VAT raid
2 weeks, 4 days ago

Families launch legal action over government’s private school fees VAT raid

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 Six families have launched a legal challenge against the government’s plan to impose VAT on private schools, claiming it is discriminatory against certain pupils. The defendant of the claim is the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, as the minister responsible for the Treasury The ISC argues children with special educational needs or disabilities are “facing real uncertainty; families of vulnerable girls in single-sex schools are confronting painful choices; minority Jewish and Muslim families fear they cannot provide an education for their children that respects their faith; and foreign nationals following the curriculum of their home country have few, if any, alternatives”. The government has estimated the tax raid would raise £460m next year, rising to £1.7bn by 2029-30, money which ministers said would be used to fund 6,500 new teachers for state schools. On average, the Treasury expects private school fees to increase by around 10 per cent as a result of the introduction of VAT, while it predicts that 35,000 pupils will move into UK state schools “in the long-term steady state”.

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History of this topic

The VAT ‘raid’ on private schools has finally made me proud to have voted Labour
Trending News
1 week ago

The VAT ‘raid’ on private schools has finally made me proud to have voted Labour

The Independent  

Six months after the government’s historic landslide election victory, its controversial plan to put VAT on private school fees has come into effect. According to his chancellor, “ending the VAT break for private schools would mean an additional £1.7 billion a year that can go towards our state schools, where 94 per cent of this country’s children are educated”. A …

Private schools ‘to raise fees by more than Starmer predicted’ as controversial VAT policy imposed
Trending News
1 week, 1 day ago

Private schools ‘to raise fees by more than Starmer predicted’ as controversial VAT policy imposed

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 Private schools are reportedly set to raise their fees by more …

Starmer defends controversial private schools VAT policy by arguing it will benefit middles classes
Trending News
1 week, 2 days ago

Starmer defends controversial private schools VAT policy by arguing it will benefit middles classes

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. Over the weekend, education secretary Bridget Phillipson called tax exemptions for private schools “a luxury …

Private school tax breaks ‘a luxury we cannot afford’, says education secretary
Top News
1 week, 3 days ago

Private school tax breaks ‘a luxury we cannot afford’, says education secretary

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. open image in gallery Keir Starmer has promised to ‘give children the best start in …

Starmer’s VAT hike will leave some GCSE students without a school by January, warns council
1 week, 3 days ago

Starmer’s VAT hike will leave some GCSE students without a school by January, warns council

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. open image in gallery Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has been forced to defend the policy …

UK to funnel £1.5 billion into public education with private school tax reform
Top News
1 week, 4 days ago

UK to funnel £1.5 billion into public education with private school tax reform

Live Mint  

The UK will end a tax exemption for private schools on Wednesday, the centre-left Labour government has announced, in a move set to raise over £1.5 billion for public education. After years of worsening educational inequalities, from January 1, private schools will have to pay 20 percent value added tax on tuition fees, which will be used to fund thousands …

School chiefs turn on Rachel Reeves after 'shameful' claim that VAT raid will give all children the 'best start'
1 week, 4 days ago

School chiefs turn on Rachel Reeves after 'shameful' claim that VAT raid will give all children the 'best start'

Daily Mail  

The Chancellor’s claim that taxing private school fees will give all children the ‘best start’ has been branded ‘shameful’. Rachel Reeves has insisted that £1.7 billion would be raised by the 20 per cent VAT imposed on private schools from New Year’s Day, in a press release celebrating Labour’s ‘plan for change’. As the surge in fees has seen thousands …

UK to tax private schools in £1.5 bn boost to public education
1 week, 4 days ago

UK to tax private schools in £1.5 bn boost to public education

Hindustan Times  

The UK will end a tax exemption for private schools on Wednesday, the centre-left Labour government has announced, in a move set to raise over £1.5 billion for public education. UK to tax private schools in £1.5 bn boost to public education After years of worsening educational inequalities, from January 1, private schools will have to pay 20 percent value …

Starmer’s VAT raid will ensure private schools become even more elitist
1 week, 5 days ago

Starmer’s VAT raid will ensure private schools become even more elitist

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. For children like me, private schools …

Labour preparing for private school closures after VAT raid on fees, suggest reports
2 weeks ago

Labour preparing for private school closures after VAT raid on fees, suggest reports

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 Contingency plans are underway in Whitehall for a surge in demand …

After private-school tax raid Eton tells parents: We can't afford to drop our £63,000-a-year fees
1 month, 3 weeks ago

After private-school tax raid Eton tells parents: We can't afford to drop our £63,000-a-year fees

Daily Mail  

The new Provost of Eton College has admitted the historic school has faced multiple calls from parents to lower fees since it told them it was levying Labour’s full ‘private-school tax’ on them. Eton is one of the few leading public schools to pass the full burden of Labour’s controversial 20 per cent VAT raid on fees onto parents. Eton, …

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, 3 weeks 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 …

More than 3,000 privately-educated pupils applied to join state schools between June and September as Labour's VAT tax raid forces parents to pay extra £2,000 on fees
1 month, 4 weeks ago

More than 3,000 privately-educated pupils applied to join state schools between June and September as Labour's VAT tax raid forces parents to pay extra £2,000 on fees

Daily Mail  

More than 3,000 private school pupils have already applied to join the state sector amid Labour's tax raid, new figures revealed today. Carrdus School, in Oxfordshire, which is owned by leading girls' school Tudor Hall, recently announced it will be closing its doors in the spring if it cannot find a buyer Critics of the policy, including Tory leader Kemi …

Private school closes because of Labour VAT and NI tax raids
2 months ago

Private school closes because of Labour VAT and NI tax raids

The Telegraph  

If it closes next year, Carrdus will be the tenth school to shut since The Telegraph revealed the closure of Alton School in Hampshire in May. Increased tax burden Last week’s Budget confirmed that private schools would lose their VAT exemption and business rate relief, pushing up costs that will need to be passed on to parents via higher fees. …

Labour wants to abolish private schools ‘by the back door’, headteacher claims
2 months ago

Labour wants to abolish private schools ‘by the back door’, headteacher claims

The Telegraph  

Labour’s real aim is to abolish private schools “by the back door”, the headteacher of a leading independent school has said in an outspoken attack on Sir Keir Starmer’s VAT and National Insurance increases. He warned that Labour’s policy agenda would require further tax rises to compensate for stagnating economic growth “and schools like mine will become over-elitist, not through …

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

Foreign Office pleads for discounts from private schools after VAT raid
2 months ago

Foreign Office pleads for discounts from private schools after VAT raid

The Telegraph  

The Foreign Office has pleaded with private schools to roll out discounts for diplomats after the Government’s VAT raid on fees. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has now written to dozens of top boarding schools asking for them to offer diplomats a discount on their children’s fees. Private schools said the FCDO appeared to be asking boarding schools to …

Private school group to launch legal action over Government’s VAT plan on fees
2 months, 1 week ago

Private school group to launch legal action over Government’s VAT plan on fees

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 A group representing more than 1,400 private schools will launch …

Meet the parents taking the government to court over VAT on private schools
2 months, 1 week 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?
2 months, 1 week ago

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

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, …

Parents already turning down private school places as Labour’s VAT policy looms
2 months, 1 week 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 …

What is ‘toddler tax’ that could see some parents paying VAT on nursery fees?
2 months, 1 week ago

What is ‘toddler tax’ that could see some parents paying VAT on nursery fees?

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In what has been branded the …

France and Germany slam Labour's VAT plan for private schools - and warn it could force hundreds of pupils out of international schools
2 months, 1 week 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
2 months, 1 week 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
2 months, 1 week 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 …

German embassy calls for exemption from Labour’s private school VAT raid
2 months, 1 week ago

German embassy calls for exemption from Labour’s private school VAT raid

The Telegraph  

The German embassy has warned that Labour’s private school VAT raid could force hundreds of students to leave its only UK international school. Miguel Berger, the German ambassador to the UK, wants Deutsche Schule London, in Richmond-upon-Thames to be excluded from government plans to hit private schools with 20 per cent VAT. A report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies …

£1.4 billion to fix ‘crumbling’ schools as Reeves pledges to prioritise education and free childcare in Budget
2 months, 1 week ago

£1.4 billion to fix ‘crumbling’ schools as Reeves pledges to prioritise education and free childcare in Budget

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 Rachel Reeves has announced she will earmark £1.4 billion to rebuild …

Private school VAT raid may exempt military personnel’s children
2 months, 4 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 …

Corbyn alliance MPs unite with Tories to oppose Labour’s private school tax raid
2 months, 4 weeks ago

Corbyn alliance MPs unite with Tories to oppose Labour’s private school tax raid

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 }} Two of Jeremy …

Private school VAT raid may exempt military personnel’s children
3 months 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
3 months 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 …

Private schools plan legal challenge against Starmer’s VAT raid
3 months 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 …

Labour’s private school raid ‘risks forcing out ethnic minority families’
3 months, 1 week ago

Labour’s private school raid ‘risks forcing out ethnic minority families’

The Telegraph  

Ethnic minority children risk being forced out of private schools under the Government’s VAT plans, a best-selling black author has claimed. The author of I Am Not Your Baby Mother, who sends her daughter to private school, said many ethnic minority parents have “three jobs apiece to make that education happen – just to make their generational landscape a bit …

British Army investigates impact of Labour’s private school VAT raid on military families
3 months, 3 weeks 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
4 months 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 …

Prove you can’t afford private school fees, council asks parents
4 months ago

Prove you can’t afford private school fees, council asks parents

The Telegraph  

Parents have been asked to provide evidence they can no longer afford private school fees to secure a place at a state school. However, if you can provide evidence that you can no longer finance the independent school fees, please advise and we can make a local authority non-preference allocation.” Councils must not ask for parents’ financial status All children …

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
4 months 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 …

Eton 'to impose Labour's 20 per cent VAT rise in January's fees' with costs of attending 584-year-old school set to rise to £63,000 per year
4 months, 1 week ago

Eton 'to impose Labour's 20 per cent VAT rise in January's fees' with costs of attending 584-year-old school set to rise to £63,000 per year

Daily Mail  

Eton College will add the full 20 per cent VAT cost on to school fees when Labour’s policy is introduced, it has announced. We recognise the concern that will be felt by many parents following this announcement.’ Eton College will charge the full 20 per cent VAT on its school fees from January after Labour's policy is introduced Chancellor Rachel …

Government’s private schools VAT raid ‘could cost taxpayer £1.8bn’
4 months, 1 week 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
4 months, 1 week 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 …

Eton College to raise fees by 20% following Labour’s VAT on private schools
4 months, 1 week ago

Eton College to raise fees by 20% following Labour’s VAT on private schools

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. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Eton College will …

Eton to raise fees by 20pc amid Labour VAT raid
4 months, 1 week ago

Eton to raise fees by 20pc amid Labour VAT raid

The Telegraph  

Eton College will pass on 20 per cent VAT to parents in full from January, the school has announced. In the letter to parents, the school said that having “carefully considered the impact of the Government’s decision… from January 2025, we regret that the cost of an Eton education is likely to rise by 20 per cent as a result …

Biggest private girls’ school chain raises fees by 12pc over VAT raid
4 months, 1 week 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
4 months, 1 week 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, 3 weeks 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, 2 weeks 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, 2 weeks 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
6 months, 1 week 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 …

Labour to shut loophole in VAT raid on private school fees
6 months, 1 week ago

Labour to shut loophole in VAT raid on private school fees

The Telegraph  

Asked on Thursday when private schools should expect the policy to land, Ms Phillipson said: “This will be subject to a process through the budget if we form the next government and I don’t want to get too ahead of myself here because I know we’ve got an election in a week’s time, and a lot of people need to …

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