To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a VAT relief scheme for Further Education institutions.

Education services supplied by an “eligible body” are exempt from VAT. For VAT purposes, an “eligible body” broadly refers to most regulated, publicly funded, or not-for-profit education providers. This means no VAT is charged on supplies of education made by further education colleges, nor are further education colleges able to recover the VAT they have incurred on their expenditure.

The Government is not currently planning to introduce a VAT refund scheme for further education institutions.