Posts tagged "Private Schools"
‘Get the Mail fora WHOLE YEAR FOUR IN 10 T0 OUIT PRIVATE SCHOOL UNDER KEIR’S TAY
2 June 2024 Analysis

How the Independent Schools Council created a misleading headline on VAT

The Independent Schools Council received a survey on parents’ responses to VAT on private school fees. It was statistically meaningless, and the authors of the report say this was clear in the report. The ISC then gave the survey results to the Daily Mail without this vital context, and the result was a highly misleading […]
Photo of a coin being dropped into a savings jar labelled "PRIVATE SCHOOL" in front of a school fees schedule: A hand drops a fifty-pence coin into a clear glass jar filled with banknotes, labelled with the words "PRIVATE SCHOOL". In the background is a printed "Fees Schedule" listing termly tuition fees from Kindergarten through Year 11.
9 May 2024 Analysis

Avoiding VAT on school fees – the risks parents and schools are taking

We wrote in January about some of the ways private schools might try to avoid Labour’s proposed 20% VAT on school fees. One approach we mentioned – paying years’ of fees in advance – is now being widely used. We are concerned that schools and parents are not fully understanding the risks that these advance […]
Black piggy bank with 'PRIVATE SCHOOL FEES' written in chalk and British ten-pound notes protruding from the coin slot: A black chalkboard-style piggy bank set against a soft beige background. Written in white chalk on its side are the words 'PRIVATE SCHOOL FEES', and folded UK £10 banknotes emerge from the slot on its back.
26 January 2024 Analysis

How to avoid VAT on private school fees, and how attempts at avoidance could go very expensively wrong

Labour seems set to introduce VAT on private school fees. We thought it would be helpful to set out the ways some private schools might try to avoid VAT, and our assessment of their prospects of success. We’ve identified some approaches which we’ve categorised as “good” (likely to succeed), “bad” (likely to fail) and “ugly” […]
EDSK» How much money could be raised by charging VAT on private school fees? Research note June 2023
7 June 2023 Analysis

Don’t (for now) believe anything you read about the revenue impact of charging VAT on private schools

We’ve been asked a few times to analyse the revenue impact of imposing 20% VAT on private schools. We’ve declined, because it’s a complicated piece of work which probably requires a large team with economic and educational expertise – the actual tax element is relatively small and straightforward. UPDATE 11 July 2023: this article is […]
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21 May 2023 Investigations

Widespread promotion of school fee tax avoidance schemes

We wrote last week about a school fee tax avoidance scheme, promoted by Signature Tax (the tax boutique owned by the SNP’s new auditors). We’ve since been deluged with reports of other promoters pushing the same scheme. We’ve reported Signature and three other firms to their regulators. More below about who the promoters are, and […]
Services » About Us SIGNQT URE GROUP Education and School Fees Planning
6 May 2023 Investigations

The SNP’s new auditors are flogging a dodgy tax avoidance scheme, and may face a £1m HMRC penalty

The Signature Group, owned by the SNP’s new auditors, are promoting a tax avoidance scheme aimed at parents who send their children to independent school. It supposedly enables parents to fund school fees from their pre-tax income – which, for parents with three kids at a top Scottish independent school – could avoid £100k per year. I say “supposedly” because the scheme is nonsense. HMRC are likely to challenge the scheme, and are likely to win. Parents should steer clear.

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