Catholic private school serving working-class families has to close due to Labour’s VAT change

A small independent Catholic school in one of the most deprived areas of England is closing due to the new Labour government’s plan to remove the tax exemption for private schools and impose VAT on school fees.

St Joseph’s Preparatory School in Stoke-on-Trent in the West Midlands has said that the “incredibly difficult” decision was made due to the “changes coming regarding independent school funding”, while emphasising that its working-class parents could not afford the increase in fees resulting from the government’s new policy, reports the Daily Telegraph.