The privately-educated Shadow Education Secretary, the Honourable Dr Tristram Julian William Hunt FRHistS MP, is going after private schools again. Rather than recognise the billions of pounds private schools save taxpayers, Hunt is threatening to take away their tax breaks unless they help bankroll state schools. Parents pay for education out of taxed income, now Labour wants to tax the taxed cash again. If educating children is a public good it should either be tax deductible or, as it is now to some extent, at least tax sheltered. Or the state should rebate parents the average cost of a state education if they go private – as in Germany where parents can claim a €5,000 rebate per child. Last week Labour were attacking the patriotic working classes, now it’s parents wanting the best for their kids that they don’t like…
