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    courtesy of the independent


    Householders who pay tradesmen in cash are "morally wrong", a Treasury minister has said.

    Exchequer Secretary David Gauke accused homeowners who give workers cash of helping them avoid tax.

    He said: "Getting a discount with your plumber by paying cash in hand is something that is a big cost to the Revenue and means others have to pay more in tax.

    "I think it is morally wrong. It is illegal for the plumber but it is pretty implicit in those circumstances that there is a reason why there is a discount for cash.

    "That is a large part of the hidden economy."

    The Government loses about £2 billion each year to the black economy as tradesmen fail to pay VAT or income tax by not declaring payments and keeping them "off the books".

    Mr Gauke's comments, in an interview with The Daily Telegraph, come as HM Revenue and Customs plans an amnesty to encourage workmen to pay their fair share of taxes.

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