Draft offers tax relief for firms hurt abroad

ANKARA – Hürriyet Daily News

AKP deputy Nurettin Canikli gestures during a speech at the Parliament.

Parliament’s Budget and Planning Commission yesterday debated a bill that would postpone by up to one year the tax payments of entrepreneurs who suffer economic losses due to political unrest in foreign countries.

According to the draft text, the bill would authorize the government to postpone the obligations of tax-payers “who have suffered losses in countries such as Libya where political disturbances have taken place and who are active both in those countries and in Turkey.”

Natural disasters included

The bill, submitted by Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy Nurettin Canikli, would also cover taxpayers in locations hit by natural disasters.

Speaking at the commission, Finance Ministry official Ayşe Dilbey said the main beneficiaries of the bill would be Turkish businesspeople who had incurred losses in Libya, those hit by recent earthquakes in Kütahya and Van, and those affected by floods in Rize.

Natural disaster victims would be eligible by default, while entrepreneurs claiming losses in unrest abroad would be required to document their situation.

The meeting of the commission was still underway as the Hürriyet Daily News went to print.