Labour set to increase private school tax: the wealthy of Oxford Brookes react
Will they notice the extra fee?
The Labour government announced their first budget on October 30th 2024, which included a rise to 20% VAT tax on private schools.
Both Oxford Brookes and Oxford University are renowned for their high intake of privately educated students.
A quarter (24%) of Brookes students come from an independent school background, and an astounding 31.4% of Oxford University students received a similar private education.
In September 2024, Times Higher Education called for a university admissions limit of 10% of private school students.
Brookes student Bella Rogers, who has attended private schools all her life, ‘strongly disagrees’ with the taxation.
‘By raising funds, it will only increase the number of children within state schools, which the Government can’t fund as it is.’
‘I understand that it is a privilege, but I have watched my own parents work hard to send me to a private school, and it is wrong to impose an extra cost.’
Harry Goddard, another privately educated Brookes student, argued that some people ‘are adamant that they want to spend the money to get their child to private school, and aren’t necessarily that well off, meaning people will get into debt because of it. I am against it in that regard.’
‘But if the richest can still afford it, then this form of tax would not be the worst idea.’