I had two reasons, the first is because i found it way too easy to spend on my card without thinking, and the second because I wanted to regain a bit of privacy alongside everything else I'm doing. Ive set it up in my bank that on payday, an amount of my salary automatically goes to the bills account, some goes to long term savings, some to short term savings, then the rest I take out in cash.
It really does change my perception of spending I think: Ive found myself not buying things because I didnt want to break a note and carry change. I can physically see how much I have left. I can take £20 to the pub and leave when its finished. Plus it feels really good knowing every single transaction isnt stored forever. I have a small amount of money on a contactless ring for emergencies like a bus fare or somewhere that unexpectedly only takes card.
Is anyone else still predominantly using cash day to day?
This is all perfect when you live in a responsible country where people pay their taxes.
Instead, when you live in a place where paying your taxes is seen as something stupid, the less cash, the less space for tax evaders.
I loved it when COVID came and the government started giving all these businesses owners (bars, hairdressers, etc) a subside based on the profits they declared the year before COVID and they all went mad because they were getting 600€/month (which, ironically is the amount they declared to have earned monthly the year before COVID).
Plenty of cash only businesses in the UK that engage in this, although of course just because a business is cash only, doesn't mean they're a tax dodge.
IMO the two things are separate: it should be the tax office that does audits to catch this. It's not very hard to see a vape shop that makes £500 a month with two top model BMWs outside might be dodgy.
I do. But so what? Since they are small businesses we should let them evade taxes?
Tax evasion is a problem, and I agree we should go against all those billionaires, but that doesn't mean we should ignore the smaller evaders.
Tax authorities need to enforce laws on the books as is, going after cash usage is not enforcing tax laws.
Going after cash in anyway is not the way... you are literally fucking over peasants as social level to gain marginal revenue that likely won't even come.