Connor Lang was discussing summer employment with Jarrod McIntyre, president of Azalea Landscaping Service:
Jarrod: I’m glad that you’re thinking about joining us for the summer. We could certainly
use the help.
Connor: Sounds good. I enjoy outdoor work, and I could use the money to help with next
year’s school expenses.
Jarrod: I’ve got a plan that can help you out on that. As you know, I’ll pay you $12 per hour,
but in addition, I’d like to pay you with cash. Since you’re only working for the summer,
it really doesn’t make sense for me to go to the trouble of formally putting you on
our payroll system. In fact, I do some jobs for my clients on a strictly cash basis, so it
would be easy to just pay you that way.
Connor: Well, that’s a bit unusual, but I guess money is money.
Jarrod: Yeah, not only that, it’s tax free!
Connor: What do you mean?
Jarrod: Didn’t you know? Any money that you receive in cash is not reported to the IRS on
a W 2 form; therefore, the IRS doesn’t know about the income—hence, it’s the same as
tax free earnings.
a. Why does Jarrod McIntyre want to conduct business transactions using cash (not check or credit card)?
b. How should Connor respond to Jarrod’s suggestion?