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

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!

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!

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.

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!

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.

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?

Yes you can.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Totally agree with this!

Yes I'd agree with that.

There are many types of business that charge well under £100 but might have tens or hundreds of customers a day. So this wouldn't stop tax evasion at all. I'm thinking of hand car wash places, independant cafes, hairdressers.... the list is endless.

Yes, the kind of places regularly used for money laundering by drug dealers etc.

Money laundering and tax evasion isn't a new thing. It has been going on for centuries. I'm not saying it's ok, but where there's a will there's a way!

It's got a lot worse in the last few decades. The tax authorities used to do a lot more in the way of visits to inspect a business books and records, and when we used to have local tax offices, there was a lot of benefit derived from local knowledge of the tax inspectors observing what was happening in their towns, near their homes, etc., i.e. new business start up usually got approached by the tax office proactively due to an inspector noticing the new business! Likewise, money laundering using retail premises has become an epidemic since the law changes applying to bank, solicitors etc to "check" the source of large sums of money - drug dealing gangs can't bank huge sums of cash directly anymore nor use it to buy property, so they have to drip feed it via fake shops to make it look like legitimate shop sales.

This is quite obviously happening in a small town quite local to me. Every 3rd shop is now a either a barber shop or a vape shop, yet I have never seen any customers in them despite passing by 2 or 3 times a week.

I think a really easy place to start is to stop businesses used by tradies from taking cash. If a roofer can only buy raw materials with a card he’s going to start putting work through his bank more. I’ve recently been a guarantor for my nephew’s new flat rental and the rent isn’t much but it cannot be paid via cash in a bank it has to be done via bank transfer, which I presume points to money laundering regs.

I've got one opposite my office in my village. I have a clear view from where I sit/stand through my "shop window" and have never yet seen a customer go in for a haircut. It's got all the "signs", i.e. gold plated chair and mirror, flashing neon/led signs all over the outside, etc. It's always the same guy sat in there lounging on a leather sofa playing on his phone. Been like that for months ever since it opened. The only "visitors" he ever has are huge ugly blokes (who look like pub bouncers) driving brand new black BMWs or Mercs who (of course) park blocking the pavement and spend a couple of hours in there. Meanwhile all the locals continue going to the proper long term barber shop at the other end of the main street who has been there decades!

The law would have to change for that to happen. Because currently retailers and service providers are legally free to decide whether they want to take cash, go fully cashless, or refuse specific denominations (like £50 notes). And I'm not sure how you could fully decide who is a tradesman and who isn't. Obviously there are builders merchants and the like only for tradespeople, but I know for a fact that some of my local caterers buy their foodstuff from Lidl, because I see them regularly and see what is in their trolley. They would still be able to pay cash under your new system.

It would certainly help deter the tradies from asking for cash because how many of their jobs cost less than £100?

Other money laundering businesses should be dealt with by the NCA or home office rather than relying on the BBC to do their job for them.

I know tax evasion is wrong and illegal, but surely there's a big difference between a tradesman shaving thousands off his tax bill, and a lady doing a few hours a week cleaning a neighbour's house to earn a few extra quid. I'm sure I'll get some angry responses!

Wonder if we are talking about the same town! I take my son to the 'proper' barbers and as you can't make an appointment and have to turn up and wait, there are usually at least 3 people waiting before you.