AIBU to be so sick of tradespeople/ cleaners asking for cash in hand?

Yes I'd agree with that.

Totally agree with this!

Maybe we need to impose limits on the value of cash transactions then. High enough to cover "small" purchases, but low enough to stop the tax evasion and benefit fraud. Maybe something like £100 per transaction.

Of course I do.
I'm talking about wanting to give my grandson some pocket money. He's five, he doesn't have a bank account yet!
I work in a toyshop shop. Watching kids count out their money to see if they have enough money to buy something rather than just a bleep from their parents phone. Kids need to learn the value of money and adding up different coins to make up a value of something. I'm sure all our grandparents gave us pocket money.
Also, if I just want to give someone a tip for a job well done. Just the little things that make things a little more human.

For lots of businesses, banking cash is more expensive than dealing with BACS payments, etc. and even card processing fees can be very cheap if you go out and compare options.

Yep...but do you think that will actually happen? Unlikely! Anything to squeeze some more money out of everyone.

Also we need accountability - so the end of cash would close down the doors of illegal activities eg prostitution, drugs and illicit other activities.

People will be less able to funnel cash illegally out of the UK. It would also stop so much illegals work / black economy etc.

Yes you can.

I welcome the day when cash becomes obsolete but the gov needs to step up and demand that banks reduce charges.

Hope you don’t mind your pension not being paid if everyone stopped paying. Need a new hip? Tough shit the NHS can’t afford it. You get the idea?

Very sad that we are becoming a cashless society. If I want to give my grandson some cash pocket money then its getting harder to find a till that accepts cash for him to spend it.
Obviously I pay tax but I do begrudge the fact that we pay tax on our money four times..when we earn it, when we spend it, when we retire and then when we die.
Can't blame people for wanting to earn a bit of cash.

They're cheaper because they're not paying taxes and not properly accounting for PAYE, and employers on their staff wages either. Any business could be cheaper if they opted out of legal requirements!

It all comes down to choice. If someone wants paying in cash only, and you want to pay in another way, and they won't accept that, you can either find someone else to do the job or pay them cash. Depends on how much you need / want them. My hairdresser prefers cash and I wouldn't want to lose her because I am slightly inconvenienced by having to go to a cashpoint. Whether or not she pays tax is not my job to police. It is not illegal (yet) to ask to be paid in cash. There are many countries in the world where everyday items and services are all paid for in cash.

There are several of these nail bars where I live. I hate the fact that they insist on cash but they are quite a bit cheaper than other, more reputable salons who have card machines. And they are always so busy!

Who checks anybody that they're being honest at all times? Unless we want to live in a police state, we have to accept that some people will choose to be less than honourable.

Actually, I'd forgotten about our own local Chinese takeaway, but they went through a period where they would only accept payment by cash OR an online bank transfer - so they would obviously have been subject to bank fees for the latter method. Maybe for them it was an issue with the payment card provider/fees, rather than the actual bank itself?

They accept cards again now - I presume they've resolved whatever issues they had and/or they were losing a lot of trade from people who didn't have cash and couldn't be bothered (or were suspicious of) being asked to get their phone and go through the faff of setting up a payment, when they just wanted to flash their card at the reader and go home and eat!

Different people engaging in different threads? If all of us on MN felt exactly the same about all manner of topics, we wouldn't have all of the, ahem, 'robust discussions' that we do!!

But who checks? Not the Councils.
Every local Chinese takeaway I’ve ever visited takes only cash. It’s infuriating.

Exactly.
YANBU OP, it’s tax fraud by default IMO if you pay cash, knowing the reason is they don’t want to declare earnings.

Guys, on another thread the majority voted for 'not dobbing a person for a cash-in hand job'????? How come MN have such opposing views on the same subject, by a wide majority???? Please explain.

What about the single Mums working in proper jobs under PAYE who are having to suffer tax and NIC deductions???

And probably inflate his benefit claims too due to undeclared income!!

And what about the single mums trying to put food on the table whose exes are using cash in hand to avoid paying maintenance?

If someone prefers cash just let them take cash? What’s the issue. The multi million pound organisations tax dodging are the problem, not the tradesman just trying to put food on the table.

And income tax, and NICs and child maintenance…

Exactly THIS. Its rife! Extremely common behaviour, its purely 2 different economies running! How this can be left to fester is beyond me!

HMRC (we) loose millions/billions, we all pay for their welfare, whilst they declare no tax/NI, whilst its seemingly okay for them not to pay for their child/children! Hypocrites of the worse kind.

Unfortunately for them, they are not bright enough to declare top end earnings & then pay into any kind of pension, thus will be working until they are 95y/o & living on poverty pension (sob, sob).

Talk about chopping your nose off to spite your face!

The 2.2k would be with vat if it had to go through his books, the 1.8k cash would avoid vat