Extending the GST to education would put private schools out of reach for many Australian parents, the Association of Independent Schools of NSW has warned.

Executive director Geoff Newcombe said modelling showed that adding a tax to school fees would force families to move their children to government schools – putting a greater burden on the states.

“We think this is not just an extra tax, but an attack on choice,” he told ABC radio on Wednesday.

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His comments come at time when the debate on raising and extending the scope of the GST is hardening, with Labor saying it will resist a GST increase even if a Coalition government wins a mandate for it at a federal election.

On Wednesday, federal minister for infrastructure, Jamie Briggs, accused Labor of running a scare campaign on the tax.

He told Sky News: “The only people it would seem that are not willing to have a reasonable discussion on this is the Labor Party … all they want to do is create a scare campaign from day one.”