NI private schools should not pay tax - minister

Northern Ireland's acquisition curate has intervened to effort and forestall parents from paying taxation connected backstage schoolhouse fees from January.

Paul Givan said fee-paying schools were antithetic successful Northern Ireland from those successful England, and should not beryllium taxable to value-added taxation (VAT).

The modular VAT complaint of 20% volition beryllium added to backstage schoolhouse fees from 1 January 2025, which the authorities says volition assistance money much teachers' salaries successful England.

About 2,500 pupils successful Northern Ireland be grammar schoolhouse preps, Christian and different autarkic schools.

Their parents look paying much for their children's acquisition arsenic the authorities plans to region a long-standing VAT exemption for backstage schools and autarkic schools.

While immoderate celebrated backstage schools similar Eton and Harrow successful England complaint astir £50,000 a year, schools successful Northern Ireland complaint parents a batch little than that.

Mr Givan told BBC News NI that schools successful Northern Ireland could not beryllium straight compared with galore backstage schools successful England, and the caller UK-wise attack did not "reflect however the Northern Ireland acquisition strategy is funded".

While acquisition is devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly astatine Stormont, taxation is decided astatine Westminster.

"This is yet HMRC, it's the Treasury and I'm making the practice connected behalf of schools successful Northern Ireland and parents arsenic to wherefore they shouldn't beryllium included," Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) curate Mr Givan said.

"I recognise the existent concerns parents have."

In a connection to BBC News NI a authorities spokesperson said: "We privation to guarantee each children person the champion accidental successful beingness to succeed."

"Ending taxation breaks connected backstage schools volition assistance to rise the gross needed to money our acquisition priorities for adjacent year."

Independent Christian schools successful Northern Ireland are among those affected by the VAT changes.

There are 9 autarkic Christian schools successful Northern Ireland, including 5 tally by the Free Presbyterian Church.

The Reverend Brian McClung is the head of Newtownabbey Independent Christian School connected the outskirts of Glengormley successful County Antrim.

He told BBC News NI the VAT changes could pb to parents paying much successful fees.

"Our parents wage little than £2,000 a twelvemonth to nonstop a kid to our schoolhouse arsenic they privation the acquisition we tin provide," helium said.

"We already fundraise to screen the full outgo of moving the schoolhouse truthful that we tin support fees affordable, but we would person nary enactment but to complaint parents more.

"We person immoderate pupils successful our Christian schools who are entitled to escaped schoolhouse meals, truthful by nary means are galore of our parents rich."

"For instance, immoderate families spell without holidays to nonstop their children to our schools and I cognize that immoderate grandparents of children assistance retired to wage the schoolhouse fees."

"We are hoping that the Treasury understands that we conscionable can't beryllium compared with better-resourced backstage schools successful England."

The Holywood Steiner School, which has much than 170 pupils, besides faces charging parents more.

Steiner acquisition focuses connected puerility improvement and imaginative play alternatively of testing, influenced by the enactment of philosopher Rudolf Steiner.

The main of the Steiner school, Peter Chambers, said the schoolhouse was astir wholly funded by the fees parents paid.

"The acquisition children get successful our school, we believe, is precise holistic and is based astir kid development, arsenic opposed to excessive amounts of testing," helium said.

"Our apical extremity interest is conscionable implicit £6,000 a twelvemonth truthful it could beryllium an further 20% connected apical of that."

"And to person each these changes implemented successful January becomes precise analyzable for schoolhouse budgets."

Mr Chambers said helium was besides acrophobic that a emergence could marque the schoolhouse unaffordable for immoderate parents.

"To person a mid-year 20% summation for families could beryllium a spot daunting," helium said.

A fig of grammar schools whitethorn besides look raising fees, including those with prep departments for younger children.

Twelve grammars person prep departments, portion 3 admit boarding students, whose families besides wage fees.

About 1,500 pupils successful Northern Ireland went to grammar preps successful 2023-24.

Stephen Moore, the main of Friends' School successful Lisburn, which has a prep section said the schools were not the aforesaid arsenic autarkic schools successful England.

"They are wholly self-financing and person overmuch greater autonomy successful however they're tally than we do," helium told BBC News NI.

"It's authorities that's not truly intended to seizure schools similar prep schools successful Northern Ireland which bash person backing from authorities and which are precise overmuch departments of section grammar schools.

"It besides could person an interaction connected the sustainability of prep schools present and that could besides person a knock-on effect connected the grammar schools of which they're an integral part."