'We have serious concerns about [Labour's] policy' says ISC CEO, amid concerns additional school services would be taxed
Labour’s plans to impose VAT on school fees could include a tax on costs that are currently exempt, tax experts have warned. A source close to shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has refused to deny that the plans could tax additional school services.
Reiterating the Independent Schools Council's (ISC) request for Labour officials to clarify their tax proposals and provide a detailed plan for independent schools, chief executive of the ISC Julie Robinson said: "We have serious concerns about the policy as it stands, particularly its potential effects on children receiving SEND support, on military families and on those choosing schools that align with their faith.”
David Woodgate, chief executive of the Independent Schools’ Bursars Association (ISBA), said: “The problem is we don’t know what we don’t know. [The Labour Party] haven’t given us any denomination at all as to how it will work. Sports and all of that kind of thing aren’t charged separately but [parents] will have questions for things that they do pay extra for, like piano lessons for instance, whether VAT will be levied on that."