Simple way to clamp down on tax evasion

[Bob Arctor]

 

You can't simply order people to cease doing legal things on penalty of it being a crime without making the thing illegal.

 

You absolutely can, that is what ASBOs did. People went to prison for breaching the orders. The orders proscribed actions that were not criminal but breaching the order was a criminal offence.

[Cyclone]

I don't know much about ASBOs, but weren't they mainly used for behaviour that would count as the criminal act of causing a public nuisance? But what they did allow was to impose conditions that a custodial sentence couldn't, of which further breaches were a criminal offence.

[Penistone999]

Everyone, who actually thinks about it, knows that tax evasion (and even elaborate tax avoidance) is anti social and selfish, in fact tax evasion is actually illegal. When we were in Crete we noticed that all businesses had the following notice displayed prominently :

 

The consumer is not obliged to pay if the notice of payment has not been received (receipt - invoice)

 

So the Greeks are doing something about tax non payment ! Would this legal notice be worth adopting over here ? How successful would it be ?

 

Hows that work when paying a brickie , chippie or spark cash in hand for a job so you save 20% ?

[Justin Smith]

How does receiving a receipt ensure that a business pays all the tax that is due?

 

It means that the business would be less likely to try and exclude it from their books, for two reasons. First, they would have to run two invoice number sequences or it would stand a good chance of being spotted by their accountants or the tax inspector. Second, if the tax authorities ever tried a "test purchase" then, later, a tax inspection, they could ask why the transaction number was not in the books.

I personally, in my business, would never try to avoid or evade tax, but I certainly wouldn`t on a transaction which I`d given a receipt for.

 

---------- Post added 28-10-2016 at 22:05 ----------

 

Hows that work when paying a brickie , chippie or spark cash in hand for a job so you save 20% ?

 

You wouldn`t have to pay them anything, and there`s nothing they could do about it. Not that I`ve any time for people who pay tradesmen in "cash no receipt" to avoid the tax, if I had my way they`d be prosecuted as well as the trader. Scumbags.

[Robin-H]

 

You wouldn`t have to pay them anything, and there`s nothing they could do about it. Not that I`ve any time for people who pay tradesmen in "cash no receipt" to avoid the tax, if I had my way they`d be prosecuted as well as the trader. Scumbags.

 

I concur. I will not hire any tradesperson who expects to be paid cash in hand - I personally think it makes them come across as cowboys.

[tinfoilhat]

It means that the business would be less likely to try and exclude it from their books, for two reasons. First, they would have to run two invoice number sequences or it would stand a good chance of being spotted by their accountants or the tax inspector. Second, if the tax authorities ever tried a "test purchase" then, later, a tax inspection, they could ask why the transaction number was not in the books.

I personally, in my business, would never try to avoid or evade tax, but I certainly wouldn`t on a transaction which I`d given a receipt for.

 

---------- Post added 28-10-2016 at 22:05 ----------

 

 

You wouldn`t have to pay them anything, and there`s nothing they could do about it. Not that I`ve any time for people who pay tradesmen in "cash no receipt" to avoid the tax, if I had my way they`d be prosecuted as well as the trader. Scumbags.

 

Look at eBay - lots of sellers there with huge ratings - any vat number? Any vat receipt? No. Any chasing by the taxman? Don't know. Loads of receipts, most of it will go through PayPal.

[Penistone999]

I concur. I will not hire any tradesperson who expects to be paid cash in hand - I personally think it makes them come across as cowboys.

 

There has always been TWO prices for a job. one price for putting it " through the books" ,and another price for paying cash .

 

small, self employed tradesmen always do some cash in hand jobs. Its how they survive and make a living.

 

The customer also benefits by saving 20% . Everyones a winner .

 

---------- Post added 29-10-2016 at 14:40 ----------

 

 

You wouldn`t have to pay them anything, and there`s nothing they could do about it. Not that I`ve any time for people who pay tradesmen in "cash no receipt" to avoid the tax, if I had my way they`d be prosecuted as well as the trader. Scumbags.

 

 

If you wish to pay more than you need to for a job doing, thats your choice.

[Robin-H]

There has always been TWO prices for a job. one price for putting it " through the books" ,and another price for paying cash .

 

small, self employed tradesmen always do some cash in hand jobs. Its how they survive and make a living.

 

The customer also benefits by saving 20% . Everyones a winner .

 

You do know it is against the law to knowingly pay cash in hand to avoid paying VAT?

 

You say that everyone is a winner. A calculation done in 2012 estimated that £8 billion in tax is lost because of cash in hand transactions. Not the biggest cause of lost tax revenue by any means, but £8 billion is nothing to sniff at.

 

Wouldn't you think it would be better spent on things like the NHS than allowing people like myself to get a 20% discount on some plastering?

[tinfoilhat]

There has always been TWO prices for a job. one price for putting it " through the books" ,and another price for paying cash .

 

small, self employed tradesmen always do some cash in hand jobs. Its how they survive and make a living.

 

The customer also benefits by saving 20% . Everyones a winner .

 

---------- Post added 29-10-2016 at 14:40 ----------

 

 

 

If you wish to pay more than you need to for a job doing, thats your choice.

 

But you're doing it illegally. You cannot claim the high ground in any way. When you're in hospital waiting ages to see a doctor through smoking knock off fags, just think on how much you've saved.

[davyboy]

I believe in Italy it is an offence for the shop and the customer not to be able to produce a receipt for a purchase,even for a cup of coffee.