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Elite private schools also take in millions of dollars in large donations annually, which are eligible for the charitable donations tax credit. St. George’s alone reports that it issued $13 million in donation tax receipts in 2016/17.

Not surprisingly, public funding for private schools is very unpopular. Polling shows that 63 per cent of British Columbians oppose funding secular private schools (and even more oppose funding religious private schools). Opposition to funding elite private schools in particular would likely be higher still.

Critics of defunding private schools say that ending the subsidies might lead to students re-entering the public system, which would require increased funding for the public system that would offset any savings. This claim doesn’t hold water especially when it comes to elite private schools because there are many provinces where private schools receive no government funding.

Those willing to pay $20,000 plus per year in private prep school tuition are unlikely to give up this lifestyle just because public subsidies are withdrawn. Moreover, because public subsidies represent a much smaller share of income for Group 2 schools, they could either be expected to absorb the loss or raise their tuitions without losing many students to the public system.

Therefore, defunding elite private schools would likely represent almost pure savings to the provincial government. And, those budgetary savings — tens of millions of dollars — should be invested immediately to support kids with special needs in our public schools, whom we have let down for far too long.

Alex Hemingway is an economist and public finance policy analyst at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives B.C. office.

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