Swinney in tax breaks for private schools row
JOHN Swinney was slammed last night after it emerged he lobbied on behalf of private schools over a rates discount.
The Education Secretary asked Finance Secretary Derek Mackay for advice on behalf of posh Kilgraston School in his Perthshire constituency.
Mackay, who replaced Swinney as Finance Secretary in 2016, suggested private schools ask cashstrapped councils to finance a rates discount he is axing at a national level.
But Labour blasted the move, which comes as council-run schools are facing cuts.
The Scottish Government are scrapping £5million of business rates relief for independent schools from 2020, in line with the recent Barclay review of the system. Charity relief currently cuts fund local schools properly, not for the Government to suggest they fund tax breaks for private schools.”
Dorothy MacGinty, headteacher at Kilgraston, said: “It is almost as if they are passing the buck.
“They are going to make this headline statement which garners great favour among the general population who don’t send their children to independent schools.
“But at the same time they are saying actually we’ll just pass it on to the local council and let them deal with it when they are already putting them under pressure.”
The Scottish Government said: “We accepted the independent Barclay review recommendation that reduced, or zero rate, bills relief for independent schools across Scotland was unfair on state schools and should be removed.”