20 May 2015

A question about : MoneySaving Poll: What do you pay cash in hand for?

Poll started 24 February 2015

What do you pay cash in hand for?

Ed Balls recently caused controversy by saying he’d expect his gardener to give him a receipt for trimming his hedge. With the onus being on the trader to declare the income for tax and VAT purposes, which of these would you typically pay cash in hand for?

FOR SERVICES YOU REGULARLY USE/USED please say if you pay cash in hand or in a traceable way, eg, cash with receipt/invoice or via cheque, card or bank transfer.

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Best answers:

  • I only want a receipt if I need some comeback in case goods / services aren't up to standard. I object to tax dodging but I'm not policing on behalf of HMRC.
  • One reason to get a receipt is simply to avoid any possible dispute over whether you paid or not. If you pay cash in hand and don't get a receipt, what's to stop a dishonest or just forgetful/disorganised tradesman later denying you paid and trying to make you pay again?
  • Receipts for any work that means waste leaving your home or business helps stop the environmental crime of fly-tipping. A receipt with the name, address, phone and - important - registration number of the vehicle, means the builder, gardener, man-and-van or whatever knows you have their details in case someone finds your rubbish in a ditch, so it is less likely to get dumped, or that the dumper can be caught and convicted. It also means you have a defence when taken to court for failing in your legally required "duty of care" over your waste. Fly-tipping is a major crime and big business, ripping off customers twice: once when you get charged for waste disposal that does not happen, and again when your council tax bill arrives with the cost of clearing up your and thousands of other people's waste from roadsides. PS: Everyone taking waste away from you needs a waste carrier licence - easy to check if they have one by calling the Environment Agency or checking the EA website for the waste carrier licence register.
  • For small payments it's easier to pay cash, eg a tenner to the window cleaner, Ј20 for the lawn mowed.
    Anything more, I'm likely to have to make a special journey to get cash, so pay by cheque.
    I've posted before that most of our regular tradesmen, plumber and tree surgeon, prefer cheques as it helps them budget.
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