The smear of being called a bad citizen for paying the gardener in cash

SIR – I strongly object to being called “not a good citizen” just because I pay my gardener in cash for his two hours each week (report, July 12). Not only do we live some five miles from a bank, but the bank charges 75p for every electronic transfer paid to his account. This is over and above a maintenance charge of at least £20 each month.

He has worked for me for more than 30 years and I know he is absolutely honest. There are thousands of other self-employed gardeners like him.

SIR – I am most concerned that Matthew Taylor, in his review for the Government on modern working practices, seems to make a leap from “paying in cash” to “this will be undeclared to the tax man”.

My wife runs a small business and accepts both cash and card payments. It costs the business nothing to process the cash whereas card payments cost at least one per cent (skimmed off by the banks). In addition, with card payments, sales are lost when the internet goes down or the equipment stops working. The business pays all its income tax, National Insurance, VAT and corporation tax, and a lot of time is spent filling in the returns.

I’m sure the odd tradesman fiddles his taxes – but the system must be for the state to prove it, not adopt the lazy assumption that we are all dishonest. Michael R D Evans

Thames Ditton, Surrey

SIR – The question is not about paying tradesman cash-in-hand but what a Conservative Government is thinking in employing a man who was previously head of policy for that awful man Tony Blair. John Cooper

Minehead, Somerset

SIR – I read on The Telegraph website that credit and debit cards are gradually replacing cash. When the day arrives and cash is no more, what rate of charge will businesses have to pay card suppliers? Perhaps there will have to be a new “Off ” body created, to make the move from one card supplier to another simpler.

Ian Gill

Knaresborough, North Yorkshire

SIR – Having just spent two days on the Salmon & Trout Conservation stand at the Great Yorkshire Show, inviting people to enter a raffle at a cost of £2, I am alarmed at Visa’s pledge to “put cash out of business” (report, July 14).

Will charities now have to purchase contactless card machines? Or maybe Visa plans to grant annual funding to British charities to replace losses incurred as a result of the removal of cash?

Judith Milner

Huddersfield, West Yorkshire

SIR – You report that Visa is encouraging retailers not to accept cash. This is nonsense as retailers must by law accept cash. Martin Shaw

Marlow, Buckinghamshire