UK VAT on private schools triggers record decline in Hong Kong students

Hong Kong student numbers at UK private schools experienced a record decline after Britain imposed a 20 per cent tax on fees last year, with total enrolment falling by 17 per cent and new admissions down by 26 per cent. A consultant specialising in student recruitment for British private schools said enrolment levels had returned to those seen before Hong Kong’s emigration wave, with parents becoming more selective as costs rose. According to an annual census by the United Kingdom’s Independent.