Education Not Taxation advocates for rigorous scrutiny and thorough impact assessment of Labour's proposed Education Tax policy, regardless of the election outcome. Should Labour come into power, the campaign insists that the policy undergo formal public consultation and scrutiny by the Office for Budgetary Responsibility, which should include dynamic analysis to complement existing static approaches.
They also emphasise the need for discussions at the Education Select Committee to delve into the policy's implications. Specifically, they call for detailed assessments on how the tax could affect children, including its impact on local authorities, special educational needs (SEN), military families, bursaries, partnerships, and the dynamics of competition among state schools in sought-after areas like premium catchment zones and grammar schools. These measures are seen as essential to ensure transparency and to mitigate potential negative consequences of the proposed policy on education and communities.
In response to the Labour Party Manifesto launch on 13th June 2024, Education Not Taxation released a statement saying, “The Education Not Taxation campaign supports all schools, is non-partisan, and does not debate Labour’s spending plans”
“Labour’s Education Tax is inconsistent with their flirting with growth, working people and young people. It claims to raise £1.51bn, exceeding the most optimistic of published estimates. No account is taken of the harms, risks and uncertainties of the tax. Labour leaders do not even agree on what the harms will be. Nobody from Labour has looked in the eyes of families and teachers whose education and livelihood are threatened, or those whose state education will be harmed, not helped, by this half-baked policy.”
“No other party supports the Education Tax and a strong majority of voters will vote against it. If Labour forms the government, their Education Tax will lack legitimacy, and requires much more detailed scrutiny and a full dynamic impact assessment.”
The Education Not Taxation campaign supports all schools is non-partisan, and does not debate Labour’s spending plans. According to the initiative, if spending money on education is important, a serious economist should recognise the social benefit and taxpayer saving of £8-12k per child, a total £4-6bn, from independent education, by raising money in some other less harmful way that does not harm children.
The press statement says that Sir Keir Starmer’s first strategic pillar is to secure the “highest sustained growth in the G7”; he does not believe in “raising taxes on working people”; is “pro-business and pro-working people” and is “choosing to back young people”.
Despite years of preparation in Opposition, the Education Not Taxation group believes that policy is not ready for Parliament, has enjoyed no industry engagement, has not been presented to the electorate in any detail, and has not been scrutinised in the leadership debates. To the extent some voters express support for the policy, it comes on the back of years of hard-left rhetoric, including the misleading “tax break” claim, accompanied by no transparency or accountability for the harms it will cause.
“We note that Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Reform parties all robustly reject Labour’s Education Tax. The Green and Scottish National Parties do not support Labour’s Education Tax – the situation in Scotland is particularly challenging. We can expect a strong majority of voters to reject the policy at the ballot box,” the statement read.
Loveena Tandon, Spokesperson, Education Not Taxation told Asian Voice, “As parents, we have long warned that adding VAT on independent school fees will force children out of their schools. We are now witnessing the chaos this is causing: independent schools are closing, state schools are facing rising demand, and local authorities are struggling to accommodate these children.
“Despite our concerns, the Labour Party remains determined to implement this policy. Labour leaders have even said they're "fine" with children being forced from their schools, leading to overcrowded state school classrooms.
“We asked multiple times to meet with Labour leaders to discuss our grave concerns. We hope to meet with them soon."
