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

[Endlesspasswords]

So my cleaner charges £21/hour cash, but just said she wants more if I pay by bank transfer, because bank transfer means she can’t dodge declaring it. As if paying by transfer (i.e. traceably) is some kind of favour/ privilege I should pay extra for.

Same with some work I got a quote for- it’s the attitude that if I don’t want to pay in cash, I’m the one ‘hurting’ their bank balance or being awkward.

I’m freelance B2B myself. No sick pay, no employer pension contributions, no paid holiday, I know exactly what it’s like to carry your own tax and NI. But I still pay tax on every invoice, because that’s the deal.

I’m so sick with the fact that self-employed people in one sector get to treat tax as optional while others pay for their healthcare, schools etc.

and yes, I’m getting a new cleaner.

We need to do what other eu countries do and drop the VAT threshold to about £10k. This would exclude those who have a little hobby while including every business whatever the size. Then there’s no worry about you being VAT registered and a rival but.

This is such a snobby thread that I cannot relate to at all. The people gleefully saying that they report people who’ve they’ve asked for a quote to HMRC are repulsive and alien to me. What a load of grasses.

This just shows the rift in morals between people. Each and every person needs to report tax dodgers every time. It’s are moral duty to do so. Do you know why the Greeks had an IMF bail out? It had far too many people dodging tax and people turning a blind eye to it. Taxes pay public services for everyone. You’d do well to remember that. ‘Grass’! Are you twelve???

Taxation is theft

Really? Where's the snobbery in protecting people like me - a single mum who often went hungry while my ex earnt a fortune cash in hand?

Exactly. And if I can work through chronic illness and disability and pay my taxes then I expect others to pay their taxes too

You sound very judgemental. You shouldn't really be judging anyone for anything and hate is a very strong word.
Do you identify as God?

Can i just give the other side to this. My DH is a tradesman, prefers bank transfer. What are we supposed to do with cash that we can't put into the bank? Most shopping is online now etc. Anyway, the amount of customers who ask him for a cash price is getting more and more! It's often the customer who wants to save paying the VAT and asks to pay cash. It's of no benefit to us at all and is an inconvenience. He has lost work because he doesn't want someone to pay him £10,000 in cash!

That turnover, not income.

And watch as inflation rises when everything bought from small traders goes up by 20%. Nice!

I assume you're happy to opt out of the NHS and state pension and pay for private health insurance and private pensions then? Happy to not use the road or public transport networks? Happy for Russia to bomb us if we have no defence?

Cash is largely useless in an apocalyptic scenario.

It may have some uses if the banking system goes down for a few days.

But that in itself will probably lead to an apocalyptic scenario quite quickly.

Im self employed and do take some cash but declare it. Such a goodie two shoes.

Yet those children will be paying taxes to keep the country going when you need services like the nhs etc and are not paying in

If we didn't have to pay taxes people could choose private providers for health, save privately for pension (the state pension is a ponzi scheme). Private transposition and roads can work.

I wouldn't bank on that - today's school leavers and graduates can't get jobs now and that's before AI really takes hold. Not to mention the apparent surge in mental health problems in 6 - 17 year olds, according to the BBC. Seems far more likely there will be even more taking from the system rather than paying into it in the future

I absolutely support the NHS, shared services, societal costs etc. and have always paid PAYE.

The issue is that the tax rate is too high for the level of service provided, and the levels of inappropriate spending are too obvious and every-day for people to ignore.

Anger levels are rising and the only way that will stop is either to cut taxes or to grow the economy so there are more opportunities. Neither happened under Starmer, and no sign of either under Burnham.

They have to cut benefits and benefit fraud or it will just get worse. The longer they avoid it, the greater opportunity they offer Reform.

Yes, I agree. Public services are shambolic, inefficient and incompetent. But people evading tax isn't the answer either.

I actually agree with this. Allowing the level of benefits handouts etc is playing straight into reforms hands

But the solution isn't tax (and child maintenance) evasion

And cash is a perfectly legitimate and legal method of payment. Insisting it needs eliminating could potentially alienate an already disadvantaged section of society. The comments up thread from people so sure that everyone who takes cash is "on the make" and tax dodging are disgusting. Amazon pays little tax, but it does so legally, is it ethical?

I won't work with tradespeople who mandate cash - just screams to me dodgy. And if they're fiddling their taxes, they are obviously untrustworthy and probably someone who might get light-fingered around my house!

We did a thread on this a while back and the OP got laughed out the room.

Good luck paying for private police if you get murdered. Or private defense if Russia bombs us. Good luck paying for a private road to live on, or a private streetlamp outside your house. Perhaps you'd like to have a private train with your own private train-track. And enjoy digging a well for water, as the water infrastructure we have is heavily publicly subsidized so everyone would need their own supply.

And when you've done all that, remember that each of these things will be run by private companies who will want to be making a margin of 10-15% to pay dividends to their shareholders. Meaning whatever the 'ultimate' cost for you, you will always always be paying 10-15% more than you need to because of the shareholders.

Madness.

To the PP who said it is expensive for a business not to be paid in cash: an online transfer or paying in a cheque costs my business about 35p! And is an allowable expense for tax.

So why do they do it, I genuinely don't understand? Is it just so they can offer it cheaper and they don't care about the ethics of not paying tex?

And women