Central Bank becomes top corporate tax-payer in Turkey

ANKARA – Anadolu Agency

Turkey’s top corporate and individual taxpayers for 2015 have been announced, with the Turkish Central Bank and Semahat Sevim Arsel taking the top spots as the biggest corporate and individual taxpayers, respectively. 

The Central Bank became the top corporate taxpayer in the country, with nearly 2.35 billion Turkish Liras paid in 2015. It was followed by Ziraat Bank with 772.9 million liras, according to Turkey’s Revenue Administration’s list of the “2015 Taxation Period’s Corporate Tax Top 100 Rankings.” 

Seven banks, of which three were state banks, gained spots in the top 10 and a total of 18 banks ranked in the top 100. 

Akbank was the third highest corporate tax-payer after Ziraat Bank, which took first place in 2014, with 738.1 million liras. 

Akbank was followed by Garanti Bank, Turkcell, Vakıf Bank, İş Bank, the General Directorate Of State Airports Authority, Yapı Kredi Bank and the Turkish Electricity Transmission Company. 

Four companies based in Ankara and six companies from Istanbul took the top 10 spots on the list and a total of 69 companies from Istanbul ranked in the top 100.

Some 22 companies on the top 100 list asked to remain anonymous. 

Arsel, Rahmi Koç’s sister, took first place among individual taxpayers on the list revealed by Turkey’s Finance Ministry with nearly 45.1 million liras paid. Four members of the Koç family, Arsel, Mustafa Rahmi Koç, Suna Kıraç and Mustafa Vehbi Koç, took spots in the top five. 

Şarık Tara, honorary president of the Turkish construction conglomerate ENKA Holding, was third place on the list with 35.8 million liras paid. 

Doğan Holding Honorary Chairman Aydın Doğan took 39th place in the list with around 5.9 million liras paid. 
Muarrem Yılmaz, the former head of the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TÜSİAD) and owner of Sütaş, ranked 47th.

Cem Yılmaz and Acun Alıcalı are the two names on the list from the entertainment sector, with 5.2 and 7.6 million liras paid, respectively. 

The number of people in the top 100 list requesting to remain anonymous rose to 51 from 38 last year, while three of the names in the top 10 weren’t published upon request. 

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Naci Ağbal thanked the top taxpayers of 2015, saying they fulfilled their taxation obligations in light of voluntary conformity. 

“I congratulate our taxpayers and express my gratitude,” he said, while adding that the people and corporations on the lists were the ones who contributed to Turkey’s economy the most.