Hairdresser asking me to pay in cash

then do one of the other options?

Yeah but they bounce

Then other small business need to think outside the box. I pay tax as a salaried worker. I don’t begrudge helping others and making their lives a bit easier if I can.

Don't want to be mean but....it's "en route", just for your information.

I wish -I've had to have a business account for my jewellery business from day I and very few banks accept silversmiths so I'm not exactly spoilt for choice either.

You facilitate tax evasion by the trades person? Gah, what’s with the scuzzy morals? If you’re a net contributor can’t you afford to not evade tax?

Tax evasion n the UK, including from certain members of so called Reform (sic) costs more than benefit fraud!

I was brought up in France (UK parents but due to dad’s job) so l have seen 2 variants.

If you would rather some people suffer and go hungry than have some people make fraudulent claims, that’s you shout. I see benefits as a safety net. I have a professional job, pay my taxes and enjoy what it brings. Unlike the likes of cash only businesses and the likes of Richard Tice.

Did you ask if you could bank transfer?

I’d just say I can’t pay that in cash. No way would I remember or want that much cash on me!

I thought your position is that taxes are a joke and everyone should avoid paying them - aren't they the scroungers?

I’d say a vast majority of people in the UK benefit from public services without ever paying a penny in taxes. Let’s not pretend the UK isn’t full of scroungers!

I refuse to pay cash at my nail salon. They ask every time!! There’s no upside for me to help them avoid paying tax. I see them taking money out of the cash box. I always do a bank transfer to their business bank account.

As a “net contributor” in the UK, I’m in a minority pool of people who pay tax after tax after tax and get nothing back.

Most people in the UK take more than they put in! I’m not averse to paying a tradesman in cash if I save the VAT equivalent 🤷🏼‍♀️ But I wouldn’t pay cash if there’s no benefit to me.

Avoiding tax causes the problem. Taxes in many European countries are higher and they get better services as a result.

Why should others enjoy the benefits (NHS, Police etc) paid for by others? Why should the hairdressers down the road who accept cards subsidise others? Who wants to carry excess of £100 cash in their handbag?

Yup, of course those who take benefits and cba to work are steaming taxes. Each is as bad and illegal as the other, obviously.

If my solicitor told me to pay in cash I'd consider reporting her to her regulator tbh. Ans my doctor is NHS or covered by insurance. Oh actually I pay £100 excess to my doctor. Would certainly refuse to pay him cash.

First of all the very fact that you are asking am I being unreasonable? Makes me think you realise you are being unreasonable.
The price that you have been quoted is actually not expensive, especially not for London. I believe what you are trying to say is that you do not have the budget to go to that hairstylist.
You may not also understand that her rent is not free, the products that she will use on your hair are also not free. Nothing about the service that you are going to receive is free.
When taking payments via Card, there is also a fee.
I’m interested to know whether you would be saying the same thing if this was your solicitor or your doctor ? Is it just because she is a lowly hairdresser and therefore not worth it ?

Those of you saying that people avoiding tax by not declaring cash are ‘stealing taxes’, do you also think that benefits claimants that have never paid a penny in tax and can’t be arsed to work are also ‘stealing taxes’? Nope, thought not!

Taxes are a joke in the UK, and our public services are a joke too! I don’t blame people for earning a bit of cash when they can

Oh that’s ok then 🤔

Just say that you can do a B/ transfer then ?
See what they say before deciding to walk away or pay in cash.

I think a lot of chair rental hairdressers are cash only because they likely don't use the hair salon's credit/debit card machines (gets too confusing since they are a separate business). For just one person, it is a lot of expense and hassle to have a credit card machine.

Surely people saying it's a tax dodge can see that yes some people will take cash only as a tax dodge but that's doesn't mean everyone is doing it for the same reason.

A place I go to is bank transfer. They take a deposit through booksy on card then the rest is cash or transfer

I got a plumbing job done recently, 1.2k and he asked me for cash, it absolutely is a tax dodge. If he had asked in advance I probably would have had it for him but he didn't ask until he was finished so I paid him through revolut. Processing cash payments might be expensive if its declared and done officially but small business owners can use it for their weekly shop, paying for services like nails and hair, holiday spends etc. This guy has a holiday home in Bulgaria which he said cost him next to nothing, he probably paid for it in cash!

This.

Barbers, hairdressers, dog groomers, taxi drivers all pocketing some of their takings in cash and avoiding some of their tax.

Builders, plumbers etc have been doing this for years. Local builder has 5 holidays a year and always does part on an invoice and part cash. Your stuffed if the workk goes wrong since contract part is the bit invoiced and paid that's legit and the cash fit isn't recorded anywhere.

It could be to do with tax but more because of this new MTD thing where you have to use online software and it's a faff for small traders.

So they are not trying to avoid tax as such (although that will be the outcome) but avoiding the hassle of having to use the software rather than just doing a tax return,

And I would have thought that the hassle of handling cash and going to a dwindling number of banks is far greater than the percentage businesses pay on card fees. But I know a lot of businesses prefer cash even if they do take cards.

Where have you got this figure from? I have done a basic search and the estimate I have found is half the amount you have quoted.