Paying tradesmen cash in hand morally wrong, says minister

[Webbo]

Just on a side note. I'm considering trying some online selling with that company I mentioned in another thread. I wont start to receive bonuses until I've sold £150 worth of goods. Now if I mention to the job centre that I have signed up for this will they take me off JSA despte not earning anything? I may be classed as self employed ans I wont make enough from selling on Ebay alone - still hoping to get a job. Would it be wrong to give this company another bank account details until I have sold the amount needed? I would not be doing it so to go on a cruise just to survive.

That's a different question to tax evading so I don't know but if you're trying to hide money from the govt don't put it in the bank.

[Captain...]

Just on a side note. I'm considering trying some online selling with that company I mentioned in another thread. I wont start to receive bonuses until I've sold £150 worth of goods. Now if I mention to the job centre that I have signed up for this will they take me off JSA despte not earning anything? I may be classed as self employed ans I wont make enough from selling on Ebay alone - still hoping to get a job. Would it be wrong to give this company another bank account details until I have sold the amount needed? I would not be doing it so to go on a cruise just to survive.

Legally I don't know, morally you would be doing nothing wrong, I guess until you sell £150 worth you are doing unpaid work, it all depends on how it works, are you buying this stock off them and selling it? Or are just setting up the sort of admin side and just acting as another buyer they can sell through?

I would be very careful what you sign up for, as an e-bay seller are you liable for any transactions that don't go through? If they send the money to a bank account that isn't yours and then the goods aren't sent, are you legally liable to refund them as the seller? This could leave you open to be screwed over or if the company goes bust having to refund money you never received.

[Rincewind]

My brother is an electrician. He was saying if he wanted to set up and do some rewiring jobs, he would have to pay over £1000 for a license but somebody employing a few electricians would buy a license for all his workforce. How wouled a lone worker recover the extra. He'd be just as qualified and able. He may say the jobs 100 give me a cheque for 80 and 10 cash. Customer wins as well.

[Daggers]

I don't know what you mean. I thought this was about his answer to a question asked on last night's Newsnight. Anyhoo you said;

I know what I said - funny how you seem to ignore all of the bits of fact which colours him and the Tories as a bunch of clueless, hypocritical, amoral wankers.

It's a non-argument.

The only person going on about it was Gauke. Gauke, whose wife is a tax avoidance lawyer. Gauke, who used to work as a tax avoidance lawyer. Gauke, who fiddled his expenses. Gauke, who avoided paying stamp duty. Gauke, who belongs to a government which is protecting corrupt bankers while trying to stigmatise the poor in order to get votes from the right-wing who feel let down.

Gauke is a total arse, a hypocritical and odious little piece of shit. It's not about whether it is morally correct to pay your babysitter in cash - it's about whether this lying little toad has any moral authority to pontificate on the subject at all.

His claim that cash in hand robs the exchequer as much as tax avoidance is clearly bullshit. There's a list of priorities he should have - making banks pay and ensuring the rich pay their wack should be right at the top of it.

It's not the first time Gauke has pontificated about what the poorer in society should be doing while letting his rich chums and party backers off the hook.

It's spineless politics of the first order.

Or, as right-wing blogger Guido Fawkes puts it:

[Saxondale]

Which is more right?

The large company that finds tax efficiencies in the middle of a recession to remain solvent, keeping thousands of people in jobs, or the bloke down the road who appears to make a suspiciously good living out block paving driveways?

[Rincewind]

I may meet up with one of the reps but need to know what questions to ask. It is an online shop and I just take and process the orders. It is the catalog thing without going door to door. If I have a job I would not be bothered about making a huge profit but its the initial start up. Will it be seen as a business right away?

[AoWW]

It also gives the miserable, tight-fisted 'morally-correct' the perfect excuse not to pay tips.

[Webbo]

My brother is an electrician. He was saying if he wanted to set up and do some rewiring jobs, he would have to pay over £1000 for a license but somebody employing a few electricians would buy a license for all his workforce. How wouled a lone worker recover the extra. He'd be just as qualified and able. He may say the jobs 100 give me a cheque for 80 and 10 cash. Customer wins as well.

Plumbers have to pay thousand to be corgi registered. In the end you have to pass this cost on to the customer. Don't forget if someone gets electrocuted or blown up due to bad workmanship they are legally responsible. Anyone without the relevant qualifications would struggle to get insurance so you would have to weigh up whether it's worth the risk.

[Rincewind]

Isn't there a clause regarding tips? Some places the tips are pooled then shared out or used for a xmas do. IWhat is service charge? Isn't that the same as tips?

[Webbo]

I know what I said - funny how you seem to ignore all of the bits of fact which colours him and the Tories as a bunch of clueless, hypocritical, amoral wankers.

It's not the first time Gauke has pontificated about what the poorer in society should be doing while letting his rich chums and party backers off the hook.

It's spineless politics of the first order.

Or, as right-wing blogger Guido Fawkes puts it:

I'd never heard of this person until this morning's news so I've no idea what he's said in the past. We were talking about what was said in his answer to a question asked on Newsnight last night. You said;

Bitching about the low-waged simply demonstrates how the man has no spine.

Now where did he say anything specifically about the low-waged in last night's interview?

[Rincewind]

Plumbers have to pay thousand to be corgi registered. In the end you have to pass this cost on to the customer. Don't forget if someone gets electrocuted or blown up due to bad workmanship they are legally responsible. Anyone without the relevant qualifications would struggle to get insurance so you would have to weigh up whether it's worth the risk.

Yes but in the case of my brother its been his job for years. Well he knows about it. He works with minute circuit boards that fit into rolls Royce engines in jets so cannot afford to make a mistake. He just says that he has more experience than some with badges yet could not do any outside work on his own. He has rewired my parents bungalo the had in Mablethorpe but that was a few years ago.

[ADK]

The electric thing came in under labour i think. I don't think you needed a costly licence before then. You can't do your own DIY electrics now i believe.

[Webbo]

Yes but in the case of my brother its been his job for years. Well he knows about it. He works with minute circuit boards that fit into rolls Royce engines in jets so cannot afford to make a mistake. He just says that he has more experience than some with badges yet could not do any outside work on his own. He has rewired my parents bungalo the had in Mablethorpe but that was a few years ago.

I'm the last person to be defending over regulation.A plumber told me it costs him around £3k every so many years to take an exam for his Corgi registration which seem a ridiculous amount of money to me.

[Rincewind]

Thats what got my brothers goat. He's a couple years younger than me so probably been 'fiddl9ng' in some form or another with electrics for around 40 years yet not allowed to rewire his own house. Although I'm sure he does rewire plugs and changes fuses.

[Guest MattP]

It's always happened and always will, anyone who says they have never done something for cash in hand and not declared it is most probably lying.

[Daggers]

I'd never heard of this person until this morning's news so I've no idea what he's said in the past...

Hang on, I can hear my *valid opinion alert* siren going off downstairs.

[THEFATBASTARD]

my council planning officer likes cash in hand. where's the harm?

[Captain...]

my council planning officer likes cash in hand. where's the harm?

As long as it is declared and taxed properly, then there is no harm.

[davieG]

The electrician thing is really irritating, I have an electrical engineering background through my apprenticeship training and work experience over 40 years.I have rewired my own houses twice and fitted 10s of additional sockets and lighting now it is illegal for me to add a socket unless I go to the trouble and expense of getting my qualifications updated.

I do a lot of my own home improvements because I enjoy it (except wallpapering), I'm capable and it saves me on what little income I have. I thoroughly resent having to employ someone else to do it.

Nightguard I believe you're ok to change a plug or light fitting but not much else.

[Rincewind]

I need a light fitting on my stairs landing fixing but wary of doing it myself. Easy enough job I think but I'm not very pratical with these things. Once my circuits fused and the fusebox blew as well. I got an electrician out (in with the rent) he fixed it and said something had caused it. went through all the switches in the kitchen and turned out to be my kettle which blew then caused the rest to fail. I did not think to test things to find the cause. I will now though. This happened at the most inconvenient time. Late at night on a bank holiday Sunday when the housing office was closed. Had to call an emergancy number. Strange how just a fuse in a kettle blowing can cause so much problem.

I can just about change a plug. Unless the screws fall on the flew and cant find them.

[Guest]

Is there anyone who isn't morally corrupt in some way.

Where is the list of moral correctness?

[Rincewind]

Depends how you look at it. Somebody who manipulates their expenses is hard to spot and be found out. Someone doing a few odd jobs for cash in hand while on benefits ican be spotted and sometimes reported to the authorities by those that secretly wish they were doing the same but announce to others that is their duty as a moral citezen to fight against these degenerate lower class cheats.

[davieG]

Masturbation is immoral!

Procreation not Masturbation.

[Daggers]

Where is the list of moral correctness?

I last saw hejammy taking it into the toilet.

[Captain...]

Masturbation is immoral!

Procreation not Masturbation.

There are already too many people in this world.

"Make love, not babies"