Has anyone on AB ever avoided VAT by paying 'cash in hand'

[sp1814]

I'm posing this question because we are all rightly outraged by money-grubbing MPs and workshy dole cheats...

...but how many of us have paid cash-in-hand to builders, carpenters, painters, home helps, cleaners etc?

Isn't the argument the same? Benefit cheats and MPs who have fiddled their expenses steal from the public purse...and so does anyone who avoids paying VAT.

So c'mon y'all...who's got a 100% clean sheet?

[rowanwitch]

Me but only because I like to have a receipt so I can do something if there is a problem afterwards

[craft1948]

I pay cash to my gardener, cleaner, and window cleaner but this is the norm for their jobs and I'm quite confident they put it through their books..............my builder I'm not so sure about.

[sp1814]

rowanwitch

You can stand tall!!!

I myself blotted my copybook when I hired a tree surgeon to prune a tree in my old back garden...

...and our cleaner is cash-in-hand, but that's okay, because she's an illegal immigrant so therefore can't be VAT registered.

[DrFilth]

craft do you mean bookies :)

[McMouse]

I doubt if your cleaner earns enough to reach the VAT threashold sp.

[Zeuhl]

Of course.

And we are currently working on bringing forward projects for our clients who are Charities so they can avoid the increase.

Why would we want to put more into the government's sweaty hands than we have to?

[craft1948]

lol Filth the window cleaner might............I actually help my cleaner with her books so I know she's declaring everything.

[R1Geezer]

I do it all the time. I pay a fortune in tax so workshy scum can live it up on the rock and roll as it is so I have no qualms about avoiding VAT when possible. I have already paid tax on the money I'm spending anyway. Yes I know the rules but I also know that I do my bit for the tax take.

[Zeuhl]

Hear Hear Geezer

my view is that the taxes i (and the businesses) do pay are for the good stuff.
The taxes we avoid would have been the proportion the govt would have squandered anyway! :-)
.

[youngmafbog]

Never pay anyone to do anything - too mean

[R1Geezer]

that's twice today zeuhl has agreed with me, I'm getting worried!

[Zeuhl]

The doctor's changed my pills
.

[merciasounds]

I like the system us few neighbours have. He fixes my roof, he gets free meat from me. Ditto the same guy that fixes mine and hubby's car. Gardener gets all the fruit, veg and stuff he wants (he actually said he'd pay ME to do my garden since he lost his allotment!!) Lady who does my hair gets a fresh cream homemade gateau (12 portions) and a pie or crumble, she's more than happy she said.

[joeluke]

I once did some gardening for a female neighbour and she paid me with sex

Ding dong

[Mamyalynne]

Nowt like a bit of barter joe, was she an Avon lady Ding dong!

[OrcadianOil]

I've never gone in for this, "nudge, nudge, wink, wink", tap the nose 3 times before the dosh being stuffed into a back pocket. I have and old fashioned trait which some might call honesty, others-guilty conscience?

Besides, after your dodgy mate has bodged your extension or conservatory at some heinously outrageous cost, and then it falls to bits, what comebacks do you have? Get the "lads" to kick seven bells out of him because he's spent all the cash you paid him? Na, can't be bothered with all that hassle.

Oops, my halo almost slipped there!

[Zeuhl]

///I once did some gardening for a female neighbour and she paid me with sex ///

Nice one.
The bad news is her window cleaner has aids.
:-)

[ChuckFickens]

I cant be doing with all the nudge, nudge, wink, wink", tap the nose 3 times stuff either...

I just ask "how much for cash?"