2024 Election thread

Suspect this might go the way of the pension thing.

FWIW, the current government are quite happy to zero rate VAT to incentivise far more complicated things than school fees. Different types of construction work attract different rates of VAT depending on the type of project and how the contract is structured. So I'm not sure the argument that all education should be treated the same holds up.

I think they will cobble something together like that then schools will have a 9-3 charge and an additional tuition charge and it will be a mess. Reminds me of the fox hunting farce.

Telegraph readers go for Labour.

Obviously. I'd suggest that if you can fillet out certain construction materials and systems when installed in certain circumstances by certain organisations, but not apply the zero rate to the same materials and systems in a different context, then that's not too difficult. There are better arguments.

Read the article, its about how many prep schools may have to close.

Probably because it doesn't fit in with your agenda. Do you have any basis for believing that?

A bit of leveling down might lead to a widespread appreciation that absence of Sky TV isn't a sign of deprivation.

Mix with the riff raff by day, private tutoring by eve ing.

It's only levelling down if you believe that private schools provide some sort of advantage. One's kids will probably have a nicer sports hall, but an advantage beyond that gained from growing up in a family that can afford school fees? I'm pretty sceptical.

I've said before that I think it's a bit of a pointless battle. The extra receipts are not going to disappear into the big list of existing demands before much gets to actually patching up the crumbling schools estates. On the other hand VAT is charged on a pretty arbitrary list of purchases. If you want to extend your house you'll pay full VAT, but if you knock it down and rebuild you'll pay zero VAT on the building work, zero on the bathroom fittings but 20% on the kitchen appliances; and if you add a separate flat you'll pay 5%. I don't think the argument that 'good things' should be zero rated holds up.

As for prep schools struggling to survive, that cannot possibly be to do with a tax that hasn't been introduced yet. Propping up failing businesses is about as unConservative as it gets.

Gammon faced pig botherer Cameron era tory vibe: 'We are all in this together'.

Muppet mouthpiece Sunk era tory vibe: 'We'll give only you £n, and fuxk the rest of them'.

Happy days.

Meh, put other countries on that graph and it's less of an outlier.

Yea they make so many sacrifices, like not having sky TV

Who gives a miss monkey's how well off the parents who buy private education are? Since when has that been the basis for applying VAT? Everyone thinks they're industry is a special case and should have a tax break. Join the queue.

The clips I saw of Sky’s debate looked a much better format. Get them separate and feed them to the wolves rather than let them talk all over each other and ignore the question. Surprised at how bad Starmer came across on the bit I saw, I thought he would thrive in an adversarial environment. At least the audience weren’t booing him though.

sunak's futile attempt to distract from 14 years of failing to do it?

i can't imagine what it must be like to live in such a place, nor can i see any likelihood that it'll be significantly improved by any of the parties

This analysis is just total bollocks and it is getting wearisome. Those families stretching themselves would spend their money elsewhere in the same economy. They aren't using private school vouchers Stevo. Please save the violin for the remaining 94%.

As policies go, it is clearly intended for the signaling rather than for the financial effect and it is an anti-oik tax. However, regardless of whether you agree, having more of society on an equal footing from school age is a legitimate left wing aim.

As RSJT points out, though, the "advantage" of private schools is self-selecting. It is the same advantage as in better state schools with high property prices in the catchment, for kids who don't have to work, don't have care responsibilities, get some evening tutoring etc.