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
