Originally posted by PapaumauThe taxes do NOT go to private education, what is happening here is that the private schools get tax breaks and so do not have to pay as much tax on the profits that they make, there is no syphoning of public money/taxes here, yet the private schools save the tax payer money by those not attending comprehensives - these are not necessarily the 'gifted' few.
I must admit an interest, ( bias ), here before I go on !As a Socialist I would make sure that not one penny of public cash is spent on grant-aided and "charitable" private schools !
I am not saying that the rich should not be able to have their own level of education - as that would be unfair to them; all that I am saying is that the taxes that are supposed to go towards a state education should do just that and should not get siphoned off to subsidise the well-off.
As Phoe said....Many millions of pounds of public money is allowed to go to shore-up private education so that a tiny few especially gifted but poor people should get the benefit of a private education, ( whatever benefit that is ? ). If this money was to be sensibly spent in the public sector maybe there would be a far better/improved comprehensive system to do this job and we would not get stuck-up elitists churned out of the private schools as a result !
Originally posted by naybean
And also these schools dont tend to use much state money to survive because they recieve so much through the fees. There are schools charging well over £20,000 a year per student.
That's why I'm saying they don't need tax breaks! Even the smallest private school has at least 200 pupils - 200 x 20, 000 = 4,000,000
Originally posted by Julie
The US is considering vouchers for private schools, which I would support, mostly because I went to a private school all through high school years. It was a great experience and the smaller class sizes compared to the public schools had to be a plus
Yes, but ALL schools should be like that, not just the ones for ((promarily)) the priveliged few
If private schools didnt have tax breaks, they would charge even more. Most private schools charge around or less than £10,000 a year. If they didnt have tax breaks they would all charge £20,000. This would push out middle class students and make private schools even more elite. As long as private schools exist in the UK, state education will be second best. So either the government makes it possible for some of the poorer members of society to attend, or they abolish private schools all together. But seeing as large numbers of the h of commons and lords send their kids to private school...
"Think of what that 100 million pounds could do for British comprehensives!"
I can answer that immediately- almost nothing at all. Education spending has to run into billions before you even make a small difference.
No-one has the right to deny anyone the option of private education; these people pay their taxes that support state education as well. And a facility that supplies education, even if it is fee paying, has the right to be at least considered for charitable subsidy.
These are worthwhile institutions that deserve these breaks which- might I remind you- go mostly towards allowing scholarships to allow those without the money to get a shot at using them.
Originally posted by Phoenix
Yes, but ALL schools should be like that, not just the ones for ((promarily)) the priveliged few
Yes they should, but they are not; we are already throwing VAST amounts of cash- that make 100 million look like small change- at the problem to try and solve it, without success so far, and making scapegoats of private education for failures of the state system is just not on. Fact is, we have to make the best of what we can and private institutions offer opportunities and benefits that would NOT be distributed elsewhere if they ceased- they would simply stop being there.
I disagree Ushgarak.....
The rich only pay their taxes like the rest of us !
NO....wait a minute.... the rich hide most of their money in offshore accounts and they are experts at what is called tax avoidance !
It is actually the case that in Britain...under the New Labour government.... the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.
It is reported that 72% of the wealth in Britain is in the hands of around 7% of the population.
To all of you who are totally ignorant; the comprehensive education system is utterly, utterly abysmal - it is ideologically driven to prevent students from reaching their full potential. Private schools and the remaining grammar schools are successful because they seek to achieve excellence. The question here is nothing more than one of governmental spite, they think that they should get to control everything, no matter how bad the consequences. What the state education system needs is to return to the grammar school system and have NO more governmental interference - ever.
Originally posted by Papaumau
I disagree Ushgarak.....The rich only pay their taxes like the rest of us !
NO....wait a minute.... the rich hide most of their money in offshore accounts and they are experts at what is called tax avoidance !
It is actually the case that in Britain...under the New Labour government.... the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.
It is reported that 72% of the wealth in Britain is in the hands of around 7% of the population.
That is totally irrelevant (and also is making supposition sound like fact). The point is that the rich people we are talking about here are part of a system which is putting far more money into education than it is taking out of the state system. The Private school system DOES subsidise the state one.
Social protection does not include the military.
I agree completely with Ush here, the rich and those spending money on private education are contributing to the educations system; what taxes they pay contribute towards the eductations systems and instead of utilising what is in place they then pay extra to send their children to private schools; these schools then get taxed on the profits they make whilst allieviating the pressure on the state schools so why shouldn't these schools then get tax breaks on the profit they make because the money that is paying for them has already gone throught the tax system!