Labour’s plan to slap VAT on independent school fees would hurt (indeed destroy) many schools and harm many pupils—in an attempt to raise money for extra public spending, which would be considerably less than the £1.6 billion they claim.
Special educational needs provision would be among the casualties, as Alistair Lexden pointed out in the Lords on 15 April.
He said: “is it not the case that provision for special educational needs in our country would be gravely damaged by Labour’s proposed education tax?”
“The party says it would exempt from their VAT charge those in independent schools with education, health and care plans, but there are some 100,000 students in independent schools with special educational needs who lack such plans.”
“How on earth would the state sector cope with the large number of special needs students in independent schools who would be forced to leave them, with grave damage to their education, by Labour’s education tax? I declare my interest as President of the Independent Schools Association.”
The Lords Education Minister, Baroness Barran, said in reply: “My noble friend makes a very good point… It would put huge pressure particularly on those children and their parents.”
