I’m seeing one particularly irksome, self-entitled bawl from some parents of kids at fee-paying schools at the prospect of paying vat

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I’m seeing one particularly irksome, self-entitled bawl from some parents of kids at fee-paying schools at the prospect of paying vat :

“We don’t get a discount on the tax we pay even though our child isn’t using a state school place!”

Fuck you! I don’t have any kids at all! I pay tax, some of which pays for other people’s kids to go to school! And you know what? I’m not moaning about it. Because I’m not a dickhead, and because I recognise that an educated society is a better society for all.

Neil Brown

@bloor That truly is a weird take. But then, unwelcome as it may be to many families' budgets, it is an aberration that that service was not subject to VAT in the first place, IMHO.

I can understand annoyance with the timings, doing it mid-way through a school year, with little time to make alternative provision. That will be tough on a lot of parents.

But, in principle, it is hard to see this as anything other than correcting the current position, IMHO.

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@neil I can understand ANYBODY being pissed off at an insta-20% hike on *anything* they pay. It sucks. Many people saw 20% and far more on stuff like energy and food not so long ago.

But that one specific cry I mentioned (which I saw many times) just really really pissed me off. And showed how those saying it just had no idea about the bigger picture.

As regards it being a correction. Maybe. But should there be VAT on uni fees, and if not why not? </devilsadvocate>

Brett Sheffield (he/him)

@bloor @neil VAT on uni fees should be the same rate as for anything else. The fees, however should be zero (education is education, and that is provided by the state), same as for healthcare and public transport in anything I'd call civilisation

Esther Payne :bisexual_flag:

@dentangle @bloor @neil I think I'm one of the last few folks who got a free uni education with a small grant as well in Scotland.

I'm angry that the generations of folks after me, had to pay for their education, and take out massive student loans.

Education should be free for everyone, no means testing, no loans.

Peter Brown

@onepict @dentangle @bloor @neil students nowadays don’t get maintenance grants but the tuition is still free.

Although you wouldn’t believe it to listen to the media .