UK Window Cleaners Targeted In Politics

So far cash-in-hand builders, hospital consultants, home tutors, plumbers, window cleaners and eBay traders have all been targeted by HMRC inspectors, pulling in an extra £500million in tax since 2007.

Tradesmen's anger over cash-in-hand claims: Tradesmen have accused the Government of letting them down after David Gauke, a Treasury minister, criticised those who accepted cash-in-hand payments in order to cheat the tax man. Labour MP John Mann accused Mr Gauke of "attacking the working class". He said: "George Osborne and his team cannot resist attacking the working classes in Britain, whilst leaving millionaires and large multinationals free to hide money in UK secured overseas territories. "First it was pasties, then caravans and petrol. Now it is everyone in Britain who goes to car boot sales. Have George Osborne and David Cameron ever visited a car boot sale in their life? Can we now expect George Osborne to tramp around car boot sales in order to try to extract a few pennies in tax? "If we are looking at issues like this then we need every Cabinet Minister to reveal any potential benefits they have received that are theoretically taxable, including all cash payments made by them over the last five years, including payments to window cleaners, car washers and gardeners."

A spokesman for Rated People, a website which advertises the services of builders, carpenters and other workers, said that the "reality" for many was that they would go out of business if they did not accept cash payments. Tariq Dag Khan accused ministers of failing to understand the realities faced by small tradesmen in the current economic climate. Ryan Notz, of the MyBuilder website which has 60,000 builders on its books, also criticised Mr Gauke. He said: "Going after the little fish is a distraction from larger mistakes that have been made over tax avoidance by large corporations and the like. "The real problem here is VAT on building work, which should be zero-rated for all building work as it is on new builds. Tradesmen are not asking for cash in hand to dodge the odd few pounds on income tax, but rather to stay under the VAT threshold, as they know that once they hit that threshold they have to add 20 per cent to every invoice, which in the current market can often mean pricing themselves out of a job."

They spoke out after Mr Gauke told the Telegraph that it was "morally wrong" for tradesmen to offer a reduction in their fee in return for cash, saying that if they then failed to pay tax by keeping their work off the books they would effectively be robbing those who did. Mr Khan said: “David Gauke’s comments that it is morally wrong to pay tradesmen in cash do little to help tradesmen who are struggling in a difficult economic climate. "For the reality is that there is little or no alternative to cash payments for many tradesmen, and criticising the whole industry belies a misunderstanding of the situation many customers and tradesmen are in."

Morality Tsar David Gauke 'never pays cash-in-hand' - what about the window cleaner Minister? Exchequer Secretary David Gauke has come under fire after warning that people who pay for services cash-in-hand are contributing to UK tax avoidance. The Treasury minister has 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 told BBC2's Newsnight some Tory ministers may have previously paid workers in cash, but denied doing so himself. "I've never said to a tradesman, 'If I pay you cash, can I get a discount?'," he said. No doubt, this claim will be forensically examined over the coming days - just to ensure nothing has slipped his mind - from cleaners and gardeners to window cleaners. 

Paying tradesmen cash in hand morally wrong, says minister - Mr Gauke said cash payments were "facilitating" the hidden economy. Treasury minister David Gauke has said it is "morally wrong" to pay tradesmen such as plumbers, builders and cleaners in cash in the hope of avoiding tax. He argued the practice came at "a big cost" to the Treasury and meant other people had to pay more. But Treasury sources stressed Mr Gauke was answering a specific question rather than proposing a policy change. Labour said the government should be focusing on "clamping down" on "large-scale tax avoidance". Asked if he ever had paid cash to tradesmen to reduce his costs, London Mayor Boris Johnson said: "I've certainly paid a lot of cash in hand." In response to the same question, Local Government secretary Eric Pickles said: "Certainly not." The government is estimated to lose about £2bn 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 told BBC Two's Newsnight there was nothing wrong with paying in cash, but doing so actively to avoid tax was wrong.

Base Jumping, Phones & Politics - Window Cleaners Adventures

Aussie daredevil makes BASE jumping history: A young Aussie thrill-seeker has made BASE jumping history with a breathtaking launch off a rope swing in the Blue Mountains. The 26-year-old man has even captured his amazing feat on camera: using a 30m rope, known as the 'Death Swing', to launch himself off a mountain cliff top and perform a graceful double-backflip before opening his parachute just 150m from the ground. The young Sydney resident, who goes by the adopted name Lucky Chance, said he had prepared for the jump for nearly a year and was thrilled with his success. "I grew up in the Blue Mountains and I knew this spot was awesome," Mr Chance told ninemsn. "To be able to swing out and just let go … there's nothing like it."
But Mr Chance said taking the jump was not as smooth as it seemed on camera. "On the day of the video it was atrocious conditions, really windy … I hit the ground pretty hard and thrashed my hands and ankles." Mr Chance, who changed his name while working for a circus, performed the stunt one day last month after hiking 5km to the jumping point through a trail. The 'Death Swing' is a rope swing attached to a peak at a secret location in the NSW Blue Mountains National Park. Most daredevils who ride the swing use a harness to keep them secured to the rope; Mr Chance is the first person to ever let go.

He also believes he is the first Australian to ever perform a rope swing-to-BASE jump. "It was just amazing to watch," Mr Caple told ninemsn. "Lucky's been doing crazy things for a long time but this is probably one of the craziest." Mr Chance, who also is an expert rock climber, began BASE jumping four years ago during a trip to Europe. "I haven't been doing it very long but I know it's what I want to do," he said. "It gives me a purpose in life." Although Mr Chance admits park rangers might not have been happy with his latest jump — he said he believes he has done nothing wrong. "Taking into account my ability, and the safety precautions I took, it was safe," he said. "I wasn't doing anything wrong and I wasn't hurting anybody."
A NSW Blue Mountains National Park spokesman told ninemsn the use of the 'Death Swing' was "not an approved activity within the park at all". "The 'Death Swing' is an activity that is more dangerous and less controlled than either climbing or abseiling and requires specific permission to be carried out," the spokesman said. "People who are doing this activity are placing themselves at risk as well as emergency personnel who have to retrieve them when something goes wrong." The spokesman also said other high risk pursuits such as base jumping, hang gliding and bungee jumping are not permitted in the park due to "the great potential for personal injury". But for Mr Chance, who works as a window cleaner in Sydney's CBD, his latest feat is only the beginning. "I want to keep pushing the limits … I want to do a quadruple backflip next time." More lucky window cleaning videos here.

Cellphone stop led to drunk-driving charge: KITCHENER — An OPP officer must have forgotten about the three-month grace period for drivers using hand-held cellphones last November. The officer stopped Gerry Koolen’s pickup truck on Highway 85 in Kitchener the afternoon of Nov. 25. He wasn’t speeding or driving erratically, Kitchener’s Ontario Court heard Wednesday. Koolen was talking on a hand-held cellphone. The officer charged him under the new law that had gone into effect barely a month earlier, on Oct. 29.
Most traffic officers were observing a three-month grace period and simply issuing warnings at that time. Police throughout Ontario only began enforcing the law on Monday. The OPP officer also charged Koolen with driving with more than the legally allowable amount of alcohol in his blood. He noted a boozy odour on Koolen’s breath after speaking to him, court heard. Koolen admitted to drinking three beers and failed a roadside test. Prosecutor Mark Poland withdrew the cellphone charge. He said it was the first he’d seen. Koolen pleaded guilty to the drunk-driving charge and was fined $1,200.
His lawyer, Darwin Witmer, said outside court police probably laid the cellphone charge to justify stopping him. He would have faced a $125 ticket plus a $30 surcharge if convicted. More concerning to Koolen was the 18-month driving prohibition imposed by the judge. He owns a window-cleaning business that employs nine staff. He has clients across the province and has been forced to get staff to drive him to job sites, Witmer said. Koolen, 46, was convicted of impaired driving in 1991 and had what Justice Michael Epstein called “an atrocious’’ Highway Traffic Act record. It includes convictions for speeding and failing to remain at the scene of an accident. “I realize I did wrong,’’ Koolen told the judge. “I need my licence. I apologize. It won’t happen again.’’

A local political action committee asked candidates running for Gainesville mayor and the City Commission District 4 seat questions about how they would increase the quality of life in east Gainesville for the city's black population before voting to endorse one candidate in each race. The 10 candidates - five each in the mayor's race and for the District 4 seat - took part in a candidate's forum hosted Monday night by the African American Coalition for Political Action, which is made up of members of the African American Accountability Alliance of Alachua County, or 4As. The city election will take place March 16. Early voting will be held March 8-13.
More than 50 people attended the forum at the Alachua County Health Department, which ended with the group endorsing two political veterans - current District 4 city Commissioner Craig Lowe for mayor and former Alachua County Commissioner Penny Wheat in the District 4 City Commission race. All of the candidates each gave two-minute opening statements before having 90 seconds to respond to questions concerning the black community. One of the questions asked mayoral candidates was to identify three critical needs in the black community and their plans to address them. Don Marsh (pictured left), who has owned a local window cleaning business for 29 years, said the top three critical needs to him are more job opportunities, clean air and clean water.