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Private Education: VAT

Asked by Saqib BhattiConservativeDepartment for EducationTabled Answered 8 April 2026UIN 120951

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number and proportion of pupils that would need to move from the independent to the state sector for VAT revenue from school fees to fall below the additional cost of educating those pupils in the state sector.

Answered by Olivia Bailey

HM Treasury published a tax information and impact note on applying VAT to private school fees: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-on-private-school-fees/applying-vat-to-private-school-fees. This is a comprehensive assessment of the VAT policy, including estimated revenue and costs of increased pupil numbers in the state sector.

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