Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP
Chancellor of the Exchequer
HM Treasury
1 Horse Guards Rd
LONDON
SW1A 2HQ
Copy: Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson MP, Secretary of State for Education, Rt Hon John Healey MP, Secretary of State for Defence
24 September 2024
RECONSIDER IMPOSING VAT ON INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS
Dear Chancellor,
I am writing to urge you to reconsider your proposals to impose Value Added Tax (VAT) on Independent Schools.
I understand this is a cornerstone of the Labour Party manifesto and government – as outlined in your Conference Speech on 23 September 2024. I seek not to rehash arguments about class warfare, whether the funding raised will be enough to spend on your commitments or discussions about school standards. All of your which, incidentally, I find myself in opposition to the Labour Government on.
Instead, I write with a specific and targeted argument about the impact on children and families of Service Personnel. As you will be aware, Military Families can claim the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA - an allowance for their children to attend Independent Schools at a subsidised rate). This enables children to have high quality, undisrupted education as their parent(s) can be deployed overseas or posted across the country.
The imposition of VAT on Independent Schools without an exemption for children of Service Personnel could make the CEA unfit for purpose, damage children’s education and put undue financial pressure on Military Families. In Surrey Heath we have a proud military tradition with numerous families taking advantage of the CEA and therefore this is of utmost priority to our constituents who make many sacrifices for this country.
There will be a number of special interest groups writing to you for specific carve outs – another that I support is for SEN schools and children to be exempt from this punitive policy. Broadly I believe this is illustrative of the abject failure and unfairness of this policy, before it is even implemented. As a result I believe the only fair way to proceed is to scrap the policy entirely.
I urge you, and colleagues, to reassess, reconsider and reverse this damaging policy which is will have an outsized impact on those who sacrifice so much for the UK already.
Yours sincerely,
Ed McGuinness
Campaigner
