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The voice of Scotland’s vibrant voluntary sector

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Call to remove private schools’ charity status reaches parliament

This news post is over 9 years old
 

​Campaigner's plea to have charity status removed from private schools to be heard next week

A call to remove the charitable status of Scotland’s public schools will be heard by the Scottish Parliament next week.

Petition, PE01531: Remove Charitable Status from Private Schools is "calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to remove charitable status, and thus taxpayer support, from private, fee-paying schools."

The petition, which will be heard on 28 October at 10am, was raised by petitioner Ashley Husband Powton.

Husband Powton claims private schools are given an unfair financial advantage over state-run schools, as charitable status provides opportunities to pay reduced non-domestic rates.

Ms Powton will give evidence to the petitions committee via video link from her home in Orkney.

Launching the petition earlier this year she said: “This charitable status allows Scotland’s elitist and privileged private schools, which serve only 4% of pupils, 80% mandatory discount on non-domestic rates, whilst financially-strapped state schools, which serve 96% of pupils, pay the full sum.

“This inequity must be rectified by removing charitable status, and thus taxpayer subsidy, from private, fee-paying schools.”

You can view the evidence session on Parliament TV via this link: http://www.scottishparliament.tv/?vid=live-committee-room-1

 

Comments

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Sarah
over 9 years ago
A reduction in rates is not a tax subsidy. In the interest of fairness, the parents paying for their children's education deserve a refund of their tax contributions as otherwise they are paying twice, which is really unfair. As for subsidies, examples of real tax "subsidies" are child tax credits and working tax credits, resulting in other taxpayers having to pay more and effectively support part-time working on minimum wage. One only has to wonder at the sheer stupidity and waste in local councils if they are charging state schools "rates" - perhaps it would be fairer if rates where abolished for all educational establishments, after all, it's only the same money going round and round, the state charging itself via huge numbers of public sector employees, all at our expense.The tone of the petition is a prime example of the newspeak which is becoming far too common in the new bullying style of Scotland and its politics and policies. Completely ignores the related facts, and uses a bullying tone to show how "on-message" the petitioner is - she's clearly seeking a parasitic job in the SNP, leaching off the tax payers and living it up at our expense.
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