Labour’s VAT raid on non-public faculty charges could also be ‘actually unimaginable’ to implement inside six weeks in some instances

A private schools leader has warned VAT on fees may be ‘literally impossible’ to implement within six weeks in some cases.

Philip Britton, the incoming chair of the HMC, said he was ‘concerned’ for finance professionals having to register schools for VAT before the January 1 implementation date.

The HMC, which is now known as The Heads’ Conference, represents Britain’s most prestigious private schools including Eton, Harrow and Westminster.

Mr Britton pointed out there will only be six ‘working weeks’ after the details were confirmed in last week’s Budget before private schools break up for Christmas.

He said: ‘Let us just take a moment to recognise the task lying ahead for the heads, bursars and finance departments who now have around six working weeks to ready their systems for the implementation of VAT.

Private school fees will be subject to VAT from January when Labour ends an exemption for the provision of education, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves has confirmed

Eton College in Windsor. Private school chiefs have called for the start date for VAT to be pushed back until September 2025

‘They are all professionals wanting to do the best job possible. These are not political or principled issues, as those discussions lie elsewhere.

‘Instead they are deeply practical challenges, and in some cases perhaps literally impossible ones.’

Mr Britton warned the guidance from HM Revenue and Customs still left many ‘basic’ questions to be answered and was ‘contradictory’.

The educationalist, who is also head of foundation at £14,000-a-year Bolton School, also said feedback from the sector has ‘not apparently been absorbed’ by HMRC.

He added: ‘Our concern has been and is for the children.

‘But this half term it must also be for the finance professionals – has any other industry absorbed fundamentally different VAT law in six weeks?

‘And it really is six weeks, not the five months we keep hearing about or that it was a manifesto pledge as you can’t do financial systems based on political soundbites and hearsay.’

Mr Britton warned there would be a ‘tsunami’ of VAT registrations from private schools in the coming weeks and added: ‘We can only hope the system is robust enough.’

It comes after the Independent Schools’ Bursars Association (ISBA) said the implementation date should be extended until September 1 2025.

The ISBA pointed out it had been advised by HMRC not to even register for VAT until after the budget on October 30.

‘Independent schools… will therefore have only a very short window in which to implement labyrinthine new rules and regulations,’ the ISBA said.

It was also claimed that the ISBA tried to warn HMRC that its guidance on complying with the tax was ‘inadequate and incoherent’, but was ignored.

Labour says the controversial tax will pay for 6,500 extra teachers for the state sector.

It says private schools should absorb some or all of the cost so that it is not passed on to parents via fee rises.

However, many schools have already said they will have to raise fees, and many families will not be able to afford it.

Tens of thousands of pupils are expected to be forced from their schools to find places in the state sector, creating added cost for the taxpayer.