The Government has recently launched a consultation on the 'declining use of cash' in transactions.
https://www.gov.uk/government/consu...sion-and-the-hidden-economy-call-for-evidence
This is the thin edge of the wedge; with interest rates at record lows - and some countries on negative rates - it may not be long before the banks here start charging interest on all deposits. That would encourage more people to withdraw cash from savings accounts - hence the Government's concern about people paying cash, and tax evasion.
Ultimately, this could lead to moves to abolish cash altogether (not as far-fetched as it sounds). At that point, Nineteen Eighty Four would well and truly have arrived, because all our transactions would be digital and therefore traceable by the Government.
https://www.gov.uk/government/consu...sion-and-the-hidden-economy-call-for-evidence
This is the thin edge of the wedge; with interest rates at record lows - and some countries on negative rates - it may not be long before the banks here start charging interest on all deposits. That would encourage more people to withdraw cash from savings accounts - hence the Government's concern about people paying cash, and tax evasion.
Ultimately, this could lead to moves to abolish cash altogether (not as far-fetched as it sounds). At that point, Nineteen Eighty Four would well and truly have arrived, because all our transactions would be digital and therefore traceable by the Government.