by Pieter Snepvangers, Telegraph
Presenter criticises tax grab on schools which select on on musical potential rather than means
Choir schools will be the next victim of Labour’s private school VAT raid, Alexander Armstrong has warned.
The presenter and singer said the “writing is on the wall” for choir schools which do not have the financial capacity to absorb the 20 per cent levy.
Mr Armstrong, a presenter on Classic FM who was himself a chorister at St Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh, said the “fragile fabric of a culture that has worked beautifully for a very long time” was at risk of unravelling.
It comes after Exeter Cathedral School, which was founded in the 12th century, announced it would close its preparatory school from September over “unavoidable financial pressures”.
Choristers have been educated at the cathedral school since 1179, its records show, and will now be moved to Exeter School, another local independent school.
Parents launched a fundraising campaign with the target of raising £650,000 by April in order to prevent its closure. However, at present, its donations total £40,000.