On 2012-07-24, Nemo wrote:

On 24/07/2012 10:05, Nemo wrote:
Quote
Paying a plumber cash in hand is "morally wrong" because it denies the
revenue vital funds, a Treasury minister said as the government outlined
new ways of cutting down on £5bn in tax avoidance.

David Gauke, the exchequer secretary to the Treasury, risked shining a
spotlight on whether any of his government colleagues have ever made
cash in hand payments to plumbers when he described the practice as a
large part of Britain's "hidden economy".
Unquote

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2...dspending-hmrc

Trades poeple operate to current moral norms, as displayed by bankers,
politicians, journalists, entertainers, pro footballers etc. Is that news?

It implies that the use of cash for any transaction is potentially a tax
fiddle. Shops, bars, buses, taxis, newspaper sellers, milkmen etc. are
all probably immoral.


Well, exactly. This is a nasty slur against tradesmen. At least they
do work that's beneficial to people (unlike bankers, footballers, &
most politicians & journalists).

If I pay a tradesman in cash, it's for convenience, & I don't have the
right to assume he's doing anything dishonest without a good reason.