cash in hand payments - morally wrong?

antrobus

daveyjp wrote: »

Better tell the Minister that then. He seems to think morality in tax affairs is very relevant.

There is nothing in David Gauke's remarks that suggest that he is contemplating a 'tax based on morality'. If you believe otherwise, then I would suggest that you have misunderstood.

dandy-candy

I can't remember the last time I passed a house being done up with British builder. Atm 3 houses are being done in my short 26 house street. Everyone is Polish builders. People use them because they work every hour of daylight regardless of noise laws, and they do it all cheaper than the British firms quoted - and want paying cash ofc. How can they undercut everyone else? Hmm....

ukcarper

It seems like the only people paying thier far share of tax are people on PAYE

chewmylegoff

if you willingly accept a 10-20% discount for paying in cash, you know that the person you are paying is evading tax, and you willingly reap the rewards of that tax evasion by gleefully accepting a lower price. trying to justify it by claiming that it's not your responsibility to make sure that someone else pays their taxes is pretty pathetic really, because there are two beneficiaries to the tax evasion (you and the person you are paying) and then all other tax payers lose out.

lostinrates

Generali wrote: »

In that case I uncall BS

Most people that look to do a job for cash are trying to evade tax IME. This appears to be an unusual example where that is not the case.

I think taxes are far too high and that creates incentives to evade them however the law is clear on matter of tax as a whole: they are not optional!

Not sure it is that usual.

I am not paying cash to people who work for me, but we are paying them in sucha (legal) way with vat thresholds in mind. All tax payab
E is being paid, but it suits no one for one person to have to become vat registered, if it can be LEGALLY avoided.

Otherwise,i agree.

Insituations like ours, where there is always more to spend on, lower taxes would get us stuff like heating and civilisation quicker, but also keep money in circulation. Irecognise that is not the case for everyone and that so e people still have savings,:D

Out,_Vile_Jelly

One of the advantages of renting is that organising and paying tradespeople is not my problem.

The government is right to call attention to this problem, which is of course difficult to police, but ideally could become socially unacceptable (as drink driving eventually did). They should also be even more vehement about the tax-dodging on an epic scale practised by large corporations and certain individuals.

antrobus

ukcarper wrote: »

It seems like the only people paying thier far share of tax are people on PAYE

Unless of course, you own the company that's applying PAYE on your salary. In which case certain other avenues are open to you.

lostinrates

FTBFun wrote: »

I'll hold up my hands here and say I've paid small sums of cash to people before - I used to have a friend cut my hair whom I paid cash to, and when I flatshared and had a cleaner we paid in cash. None of this was with a view to evade tax, though, but rather for the ease of it.

I get paid in cash sometimes, but its then entered in my books. I hate it, i would much prefer it through the bank.

grizzly1911

chewmylegoff wrote: »

if you willingly accept a 10-20% discount for paying in cash, you know that the person you are paying is evading tax, and you willingly reap the rewards of that tax evasion by gleefully accepting a lower price. trying to justify it by claiming that it's not your responsibility to make sure that someone else pays their taxes is pretty pathetic really, because there are two beneficiaries to the tax evasion (you and the person you are paying) and then all other tax payers lose out.

If all jobs were paid through a mechanism that could be audited and therefore all tax due was recovered would this in reality lead to lower taxes for all:think:

Some how I doubt it.

This is one of the benefits to the exchequer of VAT. At some point the cash will be spent and VAT paid.

lostinrates

dandy-candy wrote: »

I can't remember the last time I passed a house being done up with British builder. Atm 3 houses are being done in my short 26 house street. Everyone is Polish builders. People use them because they work every hour of daylight regardless of noise laws, and they do it all cheaper than the British firms quoted - and want paying cash ofc. How can they undercut everyone else? Hmm....

I am using british builders.