VAT on Private School Fees Will Have ‘Serious and Far-Reaching Consequences,’ Says Peer

Adding VAT onto private school fees will have “serious and far-reaching consequences” for the sector and for children, a peer in the House of Lords has said. President of the Independent Schools Association Alistair Cooke, formally known as Lord Lexden, told fellow peers on Thursday that the new tax will impact smaller schools in particular, especially those that are faith or special schools and those which provide education and boarding for the children of miliary service personnel. Cooke said that these schools will struggle to absorb the VAT, because “only a handful have the endowments or reserves that would enable them to pay it themselves.”...