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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to not be an cash point for my boss?

161 replies

kardashianklone · 21/04/2018 07:51

New job (in the UK). Boss not a UK national and is paid into non UK account in home currency. Boss flat out refuses to open UK bank account. Boss claims they cannot take out money from AMT using their home bank account card an Amex (which I think is not true- more likely boss doesn't want to pay transaction fees). Boss wants to PayPal me the money and for me to take out cash from my account for every transaction. This includes small things like lunches and coffees from Pret and big things like their council tax, water rates bill, electricity bill etc. So we are talking easily over a grand quite quickly. Things like household bills are very hard to pay if you don't have a UK bank account or UK registered credit or debit card and you usually have to make international wire transfers (which incur a fee) and they also don't accept Amex which is what boss have. Even buying train tickets on line is a nightmare. I think that 1. It is somewhat unethical of boss to ask me but I can't put my finger on why exactly and 2. what if I ever got audited and hmrc wants to know what this random influx of money that is not from employment is? Boss has asked me twice to do this. I have said clearly "no I don't want to do it, I feel uncomfortable ". Boss ignored me and said "it would really help me out and other people have done it for me" and did sad face and kept the pressure up. AIBU unreasonable and help me articulate why please!

OP posts:
Perimenirant · 21/04/2018 08:27

I know a few people who work in the UK and get paid in their home country. This is purely so they don't pay the UK's high level of tax and they negotiate it when they take the job.

Meanwhile we have people using food banks.

eddielizzard · 21/04/2018 08:28

no no no. for all the reasons everyone else has cited.

TheDailyMailLovesTheEUReally · 21/04/2018 08:36

No. I don't want to and please stop asking me because I am not going to do it.

Original poster
kardashianklone · 21/04/2018 08:38

Thank you! Boss is female, not that it makes a difference. Impressed by the one poster who spotted that! We are employed by a very large international company, so not self employed. We do have an HR dept and I have booked an appointment but 1. Seems that most of the company is terrified of boss and 2. Boss ignores what they say, and does what boss wants to do. Boss is very very senior. Have explained about off shore accounts and pre paid accounts and boss ignores and says "well the last person did it for me".

OP posts:
Tawdrylocalbrouhaha · 21/04/2018 08:40

God no! Money laundering! Tax evasion!

Have nothing to do with this!

Marmitesoldiers · 21/04/2018 08:41

I’d echo that it sounds like tax evasion. He gets paid off shore as a non dom. But he is obliged to pay tax on any money that comes into the UK. He tries to avoid declaring this by not having a UK bank account and getting others to assist him in evading tax. You could get into big trouble here OP.

As an aside why do we consider this foreign income as it seems clearly to be UK earnings as he’s doing it for work carried on here? Would he or the company get into trouble or is this a legal loophole as long as he doesn’t actually spend any of the cash in the UK?

Marmitesoldiers · 21/04/2018 08:43

Oops. Embarrassing that I assumed it was a man!

RandomMess · 21/04/2018 08:44

Absolutely tell HR everything cover your backside every step of the way!!!

topcat2014 · 21/04/2018 08:44

Sounds like money laundering issues to me.

As an employee, I sometimes incur expenses (such as travel) which I then claim re-imbursement for.

But this sounds like you are being asked to run the business (which belongs to someone else) via your personal account.

This is likely to go wrong - and the person that loses out will be you.

You need to put a stop to this.

If he cannot get a UK bank account, then he really shouldn't be running a 'business' in the UK

mamansnet · 21/04/2018 08:45

Look into the Revolut credit card. Your boss can preload it in the other currency then spend/withdraw in the UK like a normal debit card. It's all done at the market rate, no fees. I get paid in sterling and live in a € country, it's been fabulous. The only downside is it won't work at petrol pumps Hmm

topcat2014 · 21/04/2018 08:46

she cannot

Tawdrylocalbrouhaha · 21/04/2018 08:49

Would she accept "If other people are so happy to do this for you, then ask them. I am definitely not happy to do it, and I know you are smart enough to see why."

Caribou58 · 21/04/2018 08:53

What everyone else says. Absolutely not. This is bullying, too.

Booboostwo · 21/04/2018 08:54

Frankly I would record her asking you to this as it sounds completely illegal to me and your boss sounds very unreasonable.

LoniceraJaponica · 21/04/2018 08:55

Can you correspond via email about this so if the shit hits the fan you have evidence what the boss is trying to do?

Could you also say "don't ask me again because the answer will always be no". Could you also ask why she doesn't want a UK bank account, and see what evasive answers she gives. If she keeps insisting could you just say that your bank account will flag this up as a money laundering enterprise and both of you will be investigated?

MipMipMip · 21/04/2018 08:55

By coincidence just seen a report on BBC Breakfast talking about bank accounts being closed down for suspected money laundering. Can't find an article but you might want to watch on iPlayer. Was at about 8.45.

Anyway, no way would be my response. Good luck!

HazelBite · 21/04/2018 09:00

As I am reading this there has been an item on the Tv news about how the banks are beginning to crackdown on money laundering, and staff are going to be watching "suspicious" activity on private accounts.

Is your account yours alone or a joint account? Could you put a family members name on your account (to make it in theory a joint account) , whilst operating it as your own account, you could then say your joint a/c holder does not approve (this should not be necessary but it might be easier to avoid further akwardness).

This is why this woman is your boss, she has the art of getting her own way by making people feel uncomfortable if they don't comply with what she wants, a bloody nightmare!

Glumglowworm · 21/04/2018 09:02

Definitely don’t do it

It’s likely to be dodgy and even if it isn’t it looks dodgy. All the traces of the money will be in your name, no hers, which puts you in trouble not her.

If she’s here legally and the business is legit then she should have no trouble opening a uk bank account.

supersop60 · 21/04/2018 09:02

No no no. For tax and legal reasons. Do not get yourself in trouble to 'help' someone else out.

SilverHairedCat · 21/04/2018 09:05

No way. You'd have to pass the money laundering checks to run that much cash through PayPal.

Good idea going to HR. This is not your problem to resolve!

topcat2014 · 21/04/2018 09:14

OP - thinking about this further - you just need to refuse.
As they say on MN - no is a complete sentence.

Do not 'minimise' your refusal by talking about incurring charges or whatever.

Your 'boss' IS involved in money laundering if they are receiving income offshore for working in the UK and not paying tax on it in the UK.

A person does not simply get to 'choose' where they want to pay taxes - it is a matter of fact.

HOWEVER - not your responsibiliy to accuse anyone of this.

Hence, you just need to keep saying no and refuse.

RB68 · 21/04/2018 09:16

Revolut card is great - we use that for our business and it is just like a credit/debit card so it sounds ideal - really easy to apply on line and top up etc. You can also see what you spend on and get print outs for expenses purposes etc.

It is unfair to ask someone more junior than you to fund your life style and act as your bank. She is asking you to put at risk the money that is going through you as she may or may not pay it back and for certain you are bound to lose out someway. Definitely money laundering and tax evasion is an issue as well. She needs to set up ways to pay all these living expenses and if necessary through work. If its a big international firm this should be something they are used to doing for top level employees.

It is a form of bullying to ask more junior staff to do this - or expect them to. You are not as financially well off as she is and it is a nuisance to have to do it as well as others have said likely illegal. Asking junior employees to break the law for you is even worse. Def. an HR approach.

In terms of saying others have done it before I personally would say - more fool them, that was their choice and this is yours. Stick to your guns.

YippeeTipTap · 21/04/2018 09:18

Just keep saying no.

topcat2014 · 21/04/2018 09:19

OP - bear in mind that, ignorance is no defence, and neither is "bigger girls made me do it".

I know this conversation may be difficult, but you have to refuse.

(I am a finance director BTW)

RB68 · 21/04/2018 09:19

Further it is possible to set up a bank account in another currency in your own country so that expenses like this can be handled. So it is perfectly possible for someone in (Southern) Ireland to have a £ and Euro account same for the US, Canada etc.