The last straw: VAT on school fees piles pressure on stretched family finances

VAT of 20% now applies to school fees for education provided on or after 1 January 2025. After the well-publicised and dramatic inflation in school fees over recent decades, fees now range from £15,000 - £60,000 per child per year – before extra-curricular trips such as sports tours, ski trips, and field trips. While ultra-high net worth (UHNW) individuals won't notice or care about the VAT-related increase - many fee-paying parents will be radically impacted.   Imagine a GP and an accountant sending two children to a modest private school.  The basic annual bill might be about £32...