Message to Labour: don’t tax school fees. Make private schools work for the public good | Simon Jenkins

Finding a balance between privatisation and nationalisation has defied past governments – the party must make this its mission

To tax or not to tax? Labour’s plan to impose VAT on private schools seemed a good idea at the time. Its programme was bereft of leftist clout. The tax would hit privilege at its roots, and bring in a windfall £1.6bn to benefit deprived state schools. What was not to like?

The trouble is that every tax carries unintended consequences. Estimates were that most parents would...