[green angel]

I do hope you all pay by check because some government bod says the government wants the taxes.

A strong case of "do as I say not as I do".

[Fangio]

I'll continue to pay in a mutually convenient manner when dealing with trades people that I know and trust.

[PaulOckenden]

I find that many good tradespeople actually prefer to be paid through the books.

P.

[Fangio]

PaulOckenden, on 24 July 2012 - 11:47 AM, said:

I find that many good tradespeople actually prefer to be paid through the books.

P.

Indeed but continuing the debate I don't need a government minister telling me what is moral and what is not; their job is legislation and not the guardian of the publics morals.

[green angel]

Fangio, on 24 July 2012 - 11:05 AM, said:

Indeed but continuing the debate I don't need a government minister telling me what is moral and what is not; their job is legislation and not the guardian of the publics morals.

Right on brother,

After the PMs were caught flipping property's to maximize tax free money and charging duck houses to the public purse now they are telling us not to do the same, what a bunch of hypocrites.

[Fangio]

Tax avoidance measures are built into all legislation as those that legislate don't wish to pay the tax.
For instance:
Married and legally civil partnered couples pay no inheritance tax upon the death of one partner. However those who are partnered but have not signed a piece of paper are liable to tax, above a certain amount of assets - tax of some 40 percent. Until late 2005 all same sex partners irrespective of how long they had been together would have been liable (depending on assets) to pay 40 percent of tax.
Are those that are legally married/partnered and have this advantage required, according to a moral code, to pay the tax?
Are they avoiding tax by not paying it? Yes and legally even though it is rank discrimination.
How big a can of worms is going to be opened by this dubious 'moral' crusade.

[johnjohn]

Didn't George Osbourne say that tax avoidance was 'morally repugnant'?
What a way to describe some of your fellow M.P.'s with their Accountants doing just that!
If you pay your tradesman in cash then its his obligation to deal with the tax side...if he is a small concern and not V.A.T. registered then it should be 20% cheaper anyhow....if he fiddles his accounts then its his head on the block.
Its the big boys that are not paying near their full whack with their offshore accounts getting away with it while having the security of the U.K.
If I had my way,we would cull accountants and force independance on the Cayman Islands,Jersey,Guernsey and Gibraltar and make sure they have their own currency not linked to the pound!

[PeterW]

green angel, on 24 July 2012 - 10:38 AM, said:

I do hope you all pay by check because some government bod says the government wants the taxes.

A strong case of "do as I say not as I do".

I thought they were phasing out cheques. If so the only way to pay small firms would be by cash.

[Fangio]

'Morally repugnant'

I'd say politicians, especially PMs, were morally repugnant attempting to moralise.

[green angel]

If a tradesman wants cash he has every right to expect just that not a promissory note from a third person, A Bank.

Money is the real tender not checks, so absolutely every one has the right to be payed in cash for their labor.

[heavysoul]

PeterW, on 25 July 2012 - 08:03 AM, said:

I thought they were phasing out cheques. If so the only way to pay small firms would be by cash.

I wish they would!! I hate getting cheques as it means planning a trip to the bank which isn't always easy for me Monday to Friday.

I much prefer online banking and transferring money. I have the bank details of my window cleaner - so just make a transfer once he's been - money there same day. And last year I had a chap in to put my TV up on the wall - once he'd finished (brilliant job by the way - hiding all the wires with no channeling of the wall needed) I just transferred the money to his account and it was in there before he left my house!,

As more people start using Barclay's PINGIT and no doubt other similar methods get introduced - we should be able to do more transactions this way.

[Chavster]

green angel, on 24 July 2012 - 10:38 AM, said:

I do hope you all pay by check because some government bod says the government wants the taxes.

A strong case of "do as I say not as I do".

I pay cash. All the time. Used notes, no questions asked.


As far as I know, paying cash is not illlegal. Additionally, its not my role to police other peoples tax arrangements.


Either way, this is a moot point, as I`ve declared my house an "Enterprise Zone" it contains special tax exemptions (and reduced workers rights) in an effort to encourage international trade and private investment.

I`m hoping to score a none exec Directorship at my plumbers company should my current employement come to a sudden, and unexpected, end.

[Fangio]

heavysoul, on 25 July 2012 - 11:42 AM, said:

I wish they would!! I hate getting cheques as it means planning a trip to the bank which isn't always easy for me Monday to Friday.

I much prefer online banking and transferring money. I have the bank details of my window cleaner - so just make a transfer once he's been - money there same day. And last year I had a chap in to put my TV up on the wall - once he'd finished (brilliant job by the way - hiding all the wires with no channeling of the wall needed) I just transferred the money to his account and it was in there before he left my house!,

As more people start using Barclay's PINGIT and no doubt other similar methods get introduced - we should be able to do more transactions this way.

Try living in flats where there are 48 of them and not a few insisting on paying their maintenance by cheque; which involves someone having to make a special trip/s to the bank to pay them in.
Now I very much appreciate the efforts of the Luddites but know there is a time to move on ....and absolutely agree that people may pay as they wish, as long as they do the legwork!
ps No wires? Are you sure this guy is genuine I was (many moons ago) contracting work on a house and stipulated 'no wires or pipes to be visible' the shockwaves of angst exhibited by most of the builders were a sight to behold!

[heavysoul]

Fangio, on 25 July 2012 - 16:57 PM, said:

ps No wires? Are you sure this guy is genuine I was (many moons ago) contracting work on a house and stipulated 'no wires or pipes to be visible' the shockwaves of angst exhibited by most of the builders were a sight to behold!

Two very strategically drilled holes - one behind the TV on the wall and the other down behind the TV/audio cabinet. All wires passed through one hole to the other (matron)!! Seriously neat job!!

This is the guy with lots of photos of his work - www.hang-your-tv.com

[GaV]

green angel, on 24 July 2012 - 10:38 AM, said:

I do hope you all pay by check because some government bod says the government wants the taxes.

A strong case of "do as I say not as I do".

Personally I don't think I would pay in cash, but I see absolutely no harm in it. I think once again this is a good example of a minister opening his mouth before thinking about what he is saying. At the end of the day cash is legal tender, and it's a perfectly legal form of transaction. In my view a cash transaction with trades is just as likely to go through the books as a cash transaction at your local pub for a pint, supermarket for a loaf of bread, or newsagent for your morning paper. The majority of these businesses and people are good, hard working, honest, law abiding citizens, who are just as likely to put the cash through the books as they are a cheque. This government really needs to look at where the biggest tax avoidance loopholes and schemes are and spend money in sorting these out before they go off and start attacking already hard pressed small businesses.

We have major companies in the country who fail to pay billions in tax, then go off to the revenue and try to negotiate to pay less, and then get told they can! These in my view are some of the worst perpetrators of the system.

[green angel]

GaV, on 25 July 2012 - 22:13 PM, said:

Personally I don't think I would pay in cash, but I see absolutely no harm in it. I think once again this is a good example of a minister opening his mouth before thinking about what he is saying. At the end of the day cash is legal tender, and it's a perfectly legal form of transaction. In my view a cash transaction with trades is just as likely to go through the books as a cash transaction at your local pub for a pint, supermarket for a loaf of bread, or newsagent for your morning paper. The majority of these businesses and people are good, hard working, honest, law abiding citizens, who are just as likely to put the cash through the books as they are a cheque. This government really needs to look at where the biggest tax avoidance loopholes and schemes are and spend money in sorting these out before they go off and start attacking already hard pressed small businesses.

We have major companies in the country who fail to pay billions in tax, then go off to the revenue and try to negotiate to pay less, and then get told they can! These in my view are some of the worst perpetrators of the system.

Brilliant post.

[PaulOckenden]

I don;t think the issue is paying cash vs paying by cheque or bank transfer. It's really whether you get an invoice/receipt or not.

P.

[Tricky Dicky]

GaV, on 25 July 2012 - 23:13 PM, said:

Personally I don't think I would pay in cash, but I see absolutely no harm in it. I think once again this is a good example of a minister opening his mouth before thinking about what he is saying.

If he's asked a direct question by the press, what is he supposed to say ? He can't condone it, so of course he's going to say it's not right - although it's only "not right" if it's done with the purpose of the tax not being paid, e.g. you are splitting the tax betwen you and the tradesman, then you are implicit. If you pay cash and have no knowledge of what they're going to do with it, that's not a problem.

[Ferryman]

This makes for a very interesting read (Amazon UK, Play.com etc dont pay any UK tax either):-

http://www.businessp...es-than-you-do/

[green angel]

Ferryman, on 26 July 2012 - 15:21 PM, said:

This makes for a very interesting read (Amazon UK, Play.com etc dont pay any UK tax either):-

http://www.businessp...es-than-you-do/

Its appalling that the tax office lets large corporations pay so little tax on their earnings, and yet chase a gardener or plumber to get every penny out of them, the only chance they get to be treated the same as Corporations and pay less tax is to get some earnings in cash and don't declare it, good on them I say until big company pay their fair share.

If you are employed by some outfit you are up the creek and get stuffed for more than your fair share of taxes.